


All We Had

by MHoult92



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 21:39:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3184115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MHoult92/pseuds/MHoult92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all happened so fast that there was nothing to prepare the One Direction family for the hailstorm of the last few weeks. It was all a blur of phone calls, hospitals, people, police, and questions. So many questions...</p>
<p>How had they ended up in this mess? Who was behind Harry's kidnapping? Why didn't they take Louis when they had the chance? Where were Anne and Gemma now? </p>
<p>It was supposed to be a normal day for Louis. Leave home, hang out with Eleanor, go back home to Harry...but now Louis' fighting for his life in a hospital while the boy he loves is God knows where, his friends are an emotional mess, and now Anne and Gemma had gone off the grid. How much more could they all take? </p>
<p>All they knew now was that they would never take the "boring" days for granted because in the midst of all this chaos they had forgotten what was at stake. They had forgotten just how blessed they were to have all that they did. They were everything to each other, these five boys surrounded by an army of the people they cared most for. Would they get it all back? And even if they did, would it be just like all they had?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Louis’ POV.

It was in this moment that I realized what was at stake here. Not just a person, or band mate, or best friend. No, this was so much more. Fear, anger, worry, etc., didn’t even begin to describe the last few weeks. So as I held the sickly, beaten, weak boy that I thought I had a grip on for so long, it was then that I realized what I was truly dealing with here.

For the first time I didn’t just hold the boy in my arms, where we sat on the ground in the forest, for the first time in quite awhile I felt the LOVE for this boy. It wasn’t until I found him, FINALLY, after all these weeks apart and the past few days of pure misery that my heart felt something other than grief. 

I pulled his long body up so as to cradle him against my chest hoping to at least bring a tiny bit of warmth to him in this brief moment as he brought to me on a daily basis.

No, there was more than just a friend’s life on the line here, this was the love of my life slowly fading away..

“Harry…? Harry, baby? Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me?” I asked, looking down and brushing back the long chocolate curls from his beautiful face.

I didn’t hope for much, after the last few weeks I was almost getting used to the silence. But here, in this tiny moment, so precious that it was barely a whisper but over in a blink I heard the one voice I thought I would never hear again..

“Louis?”


	2. Slipping

4 Weeks Earlier

 

“Morning Lou!” 

“Oh, mornin’ Hazza! What’re you up to?” Louis replied, bounding down the stairs to the large kitchen in their shared flat.

“Just thought I would whip up a little morning grub for us! Hungry? I got some eggs, bacon, could do som- What?” Harry replied, noting the almost sympathetic look on Louis’ face.

“Oh man, I’m sorry Haz…I guess I forgot to mention it, I’ve gotta go out with El today. Promised to take her to that little coffee shop on the corner she likes so much. Ummm…maybe we could do something for dinner, yeah?”

“Well, uh, yeah...sure thing! Hope you two have fun then..” Harry tried at one of his award-winning smiles but who was he kidding, this was his Louis. Wait, no, this was Louis. Just Louis. Yeah right… 

“Haz…? What’s wrong?” Louis asked, pulling Harry from his thoughts.

“Nothing, I’m good! You’re good? Yeah. We’re all good! I’m just gonna go watch some telly.”

“Okay, if you’re sure..” Louis replied sending a quick glance back at the boy before heading out.

Harry had at least hoped for a “goodbye!” or a hug or something but just like that, Louis was gone. They seemed to be stuck in this weird place now. The Larry Stylinson dilemma had definitely had an effect on their friendship, but whether good or bad Harry was unsure of at this point. Harry longed for more, that much he knew. But Louis was with El and though Louis himself questioned their relationship sometimes, he was still trying to give it his best. Harry only wanted what was best for Lou so he kept quiet. 

I mean, sure, he had told Lou about his feelings for him…his actual, romantic, feelings, but Louis hadn’t been able to get out words after the confession. So they went back to the way things were with the understanding that they would pretend it never happened, and it worked so far. Kind of. 

That wasn’t so much what bothered Harry now though. No, it was with a solemn feeling that he glanced over to the calendar on the wall and noted today’s date. The date circled in multiple colorful sharpies and Louis’ clear as day writing that read:

“FEBRUARY 1. HAZZA’S B-DAY!”

Louis had forgotten, his own best friend had forgotten his birthday. He didn’t even know if any of the other boys had remembered so he let a few tears roll down his cheeks as he spent yet another day the same as the last few weeks following the end of tour, silently singing “happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me…”.

\--------

“Lou! What about these? Harry might like this pair!” Louis listened for the millionth time as El pointed to a pair of green Converse. Louis felt bad for leaving Harry this morning but he hoped the surprise party they had planned later this day might pull his spirits back up. 

“I don’t know El…don’t you think they’re a little, I don’t know, much?” Louis replied.

He was excited to be shopping for the occasion but nothing so far had grabbed at his attention the way he had hoped it would. 

“Much? Louis, really? Have you MET Harry?” El laughingly replied back before turning her attention back to the shoes.

Louis really didn’t understand what was wrong with him. I mean, El was a great girl, beautiful, how could someone not be head over heels? 

But Louis was quickly pulled from his thoughts by El’s questioning, “Louis? Lou? Oh, Lou…”

“What?” Louis shot back, feeling suddenly embarrassed that he was missing something.

“Louis, you know we’ve had a really great run, but when are you going to tell him?”

“WHAT?!” Louis knew what he had just heard but was she really saying what he thought?

“Louis, I’ve been thinking…you’ve been planning this whole big party for Harry and maybe it’s time for us to face the facts. Whatever this is, it’s just friendship now. When was the last time we even spent a night together? Harry needs you, and you need Harry. You two have been slipping apart these last few months and I think we both know what the problem is. You’ve got to either face your feelings for him or prepare to lose him.”

No, no, no…Louis thought. He and Harry had been fine all this time, what was El even talking about? They weren’t losing each other. Or were they..? Sure, they’d had some tussles over the last few weeks but that happened to anyone, right? 

“Ummm, Louis, could you say something? Anything?” El questioned.

“Uhh, I, uhh…umm, I guess I have some things to think about, yeah?” Louis replied.

“It’s okay Louis, really. Take your time but today might be the perfect time. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll get.”

He had to admit, she had a point. They were more of friends than lovers at this point. So were they really losing anything by admitting it just wasn’t right anymore? It was then that something caught Louis’ eyes and his whole face brightened. El couldn’t do anything but follow his eyes as the wheels turned his mind.

“So El, how about those..?”

\-----

On the other side of the city Harry decided it was time to at least go out and do something. No tweets, no phone calls, no messages found their way to him. Not even his mom had sent him anything. Were the boys really so busy that they couldn’t acknowledge his birthday? 

He had always made sure to make their day special in some way, even if they were on tour. Had he done something wrong? No, he thought, it’s just the way things were now. It seemed that even four short years had come to make them complacent with everything. They hung out but each boy was so busy caught up in their own lives between tours, recording, and promotional duties that it was just routine. 

Harry decided he couldn’t be tied down by his own mind anymore though, so he did the only thing he knew to do that might take his mind off things. He grabbed his coat and headed out the door to get some fresh air.


	3. Winding

“Alright Louis, I think that should just about do it. Do you need any help getting decorations over to Liam’s?” Eleanor asked.

“No, no. We should be good to go! The boys promised they would work hard all night to get everything taken care so by my watch they’ll probably be getting up about 4 hours before the party.” Louis laughed to himself.

“Okay, I’ll see you later then. Just, get all this worked out, yeah? Harry needs his best friend back.” El said before planting a quick peck on his cheek and giving a quick wave to a few fans and paparazzi. She walked to her car before leaving Louis outside the store where he had decided to walk home.

He took a few quick back alleys he knew would put some separation between him and any prying eyes before heading off in the direction of home. And Harry..

If he wasn’t so caught up in his thoughts of what he was going to say to Harry when he got home he might have noticed the van that was now following him. The beady eyes watching his every move. The same van that waited for the minute he was alone on the back roads before punching the gas and throwing the door wide open. The hands that pulled his surprised frame in before he could even process what was happening. Then the blackness that overtook his entire being as the van pulled away…

\-----

“Wake up! Come on now, we need you alert. WAKE UP!” Louis was quickly being pulled from the depths by forceful slaps to his face.

“Wha-?” Louis tried to force out but found that his words only came out in a garbled mess. What in the…? 

Oh.

Louis now realized as he tried to pull back from the figure in front of him that he was still in the van. His hands were tightly bound behind his back and a cloth gag had been firmly tied around his head. Louis took in the tinted windows and woman in front of him. She had to be in her 40’s at least and seemed to trying to communicate with him.

“Come on now, I need you to get it together dear. There we go…better now? Whoops! Maybe I hit you with a bit too much back there. Awww, don’t look so down. Before you know it you’ll be out of here.”

Louis wasn’t sure whether to take this as a victory or a death sentence.

“Oh now, where are my manners? I would introduce myself but for obvious reasons I can’t do so. HEY! BABE!”

“WHAT?!” Louis heard a man’s deep voice reply from up front.

“How much longer until we get to the other boy? We need to hurry this along now” the woman replied.

Other boy…? What were they talking about? What other boy? For some reason unknown to him he felt his stomach drop.

\-----  
Harry found himself winding by the path next to the woods. Long stretch of forest ran miles to his left and the massive city ran endlessly to his right. He kicked the occasional rock under his feet as he took in everything around him. He let his thoughts wander as he wondered what the other boys were doing at this moment.

It was then that he heard the sounds of a car coming up behind him and got as far off the road as he could until it passed. Not too many people were out here at this time of day but the occasional passerby was inevitable. However, what he hadn’t expected was the sounds of squealing tires before a woman jumped out of a van behind him and started screaming at him to get in. 

He was then grabbed roughly from behind and forced closer to the doors. Just as he was about to struggle he was shoved unceremoniously to the floor of the van and met with an unfortunately familiar face. He hadn’t even been able to process enough to make a sound until now.

Looking back at him, just as frightened and confused as he was sure his own face reflected was Louis. His Louis, being flanked by the woman now as the man stood at the doors.

“There there young Harry…play nice and Louis may yet get off easy.” The woman stated, looking curiously for Harry’s reaction.

“Wha…what…what do you want from me? Just let him go!” Harry shrieked back.

The woman slowly made her way over to him with an indiscernible look in her eye. Louis struggled with his bindings to stop the inevitable. Harry could only wait in anticipation but did nothing as it would mean certain death for Louis, the way this woman talked. 

The woman hit him with the butt of her gun before shoving him onto his stomach and pulling his hands behind him. She grabbed thick rope, quickly pulling his wrists on top of each other forming an “x” type shape. When she finished that she took the loose ends and tied them to a loop in the flooring, leaving him stuck to the spot.

“Louis…?” Harry croaked out, his eyes never leaving his best friend.

Louis just stared back and tried to reassure Harry but nothing he did seemed to quell the fear in his eyes. 

“Alright, now, where were we?” the woman said, looking over to her male partner.

“We’ve got what we came for, worked like a charm it seems” the man replied, suddenly looking over to Louis. “We need to dump that one though, as nice a payday as both of them would make we agreed we’d only take that one”, pointing his head to Harry.

“What do you mean dump him?!” Harry asked incredulously, suddenly finding his fear increased tenfold. “What is going on here?!”

“Sweetheart, please? I’m not going to be able to listen to that all day..” the man said as he turned to the woman. She sighed but quickly agreed before pulling out another cloth and quickly gagging Harry as well. 

“You see loves, we’ve been in a bit of a bind lately. Sorry, no disrespect intended. Seems our finances are a bit underwhelming and the bank seems to think they can take everything from us. We needed a way out but how? It came to me though the minute the news reported that London’s local golden boys would be returning. And while any one of you would be golden, little Harry here seems to attract quite a lot of attention, being so young and baby-faced”, the woman said as she ran a hand over Harry’s cheek, “but we weren’t stupid. We know there would be a struggle if we went after him which is where you enter sir Louis. Taking you promised cooperation from Harry, a fact that seems to have proven itself within the last 10 minutes. But now, we have plans that don’t leave enough room for you. So I must warn you now, Mr. Tomlinson, that this is going to hurt quite a lot” the woman trailed off before pulling out a syringe. Before either of them could act she stuck Louis with the substance and backed away towards Harry before closing the van doors and joining her partner up front. 

Harry nervously watched Louis for any sign of distress but it wasn’t until miles down the road that whatever she had injected him with took effect. He started sweating and coughing, turning pale. Louis felt the drug take effect with agonizingly slow effects and from being around his mother long enough knew what was most likely in that syringe.

Approximately 15 minutes later, in which Harry had tried everything he could think of to break free of the binds to get to Louis, the van slowed over a gravel alleyway. By this point Louis was too disoriented to fight back as the doors re-opened and he was pulled out by the pair. Harry watched as they threw him in plain sight before closing the doors and quickly jumping back in the van, peeling off down the narrow road. 

By that time Harry could narrow down the possibilities enough to know that Louis was in danger, what was most likely happening to him, anyway.

Poison. Louis was poisoned.

Harry could only pray that Louis was found soon and strangely discovered he was relieved that at least Louis had a chance of making it alive. But if was the fear that kept Harry’s hopes at bay. Fear that he now found himself alone. And fear that left him wondering what he would come back to, if he came back at all.


	4. Family

“Looking good boys! At this rate we’ll be ready to go well before Louis brings the birthday boy, for once…” Liam exclaimed, chuckling to himself. He, Niall, and Zayn were quickly putting together the final touches of the birthday celebration in his home. Decorations, catering, and music were all in place for the big bash. Harry was going to love this! Now they just had to get ready themselves as well as be prepared for the guests to begin arriving.

However, Liam found himself distracted by Zayn’s phone ringing. Zayn looked confused for a moment before answering a call from Eleanor of all people. 

“Zayn, have you seen or heard from Louis or Harry recently?” Eleanor asked, her voice holding onto some sort of hope that was quickly fading. 

“Ummm, no, actually. Last I knew Louis was heading back to their place to get ready for tonight but he never texted when he made it. You know Louis, always distracted by something. Why? Is everything okay?” 

“I hope so, but the thing is…Louis was supposed to pick me up for the party over an hour ago but he never showed. We were going to show up early to see if we could help so I went to the flat and neither he nor Harry are here either. Neither are answering their phones and their cars are still here. Zayn…I don’t know where they are.” Eleanor trailed off, she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions but this wasn’t something Louis and Harry ever did. She just had a really bad gut feeling…

“Okay, okay. Let me make some calls and see if I can found out anything, why weren’t their security teams with them?” Zayn asked, holding up a finger when he saw the quizzical look on Liam’s face at the conversation.

“Well, Louis and I were shopping and he just wanted to get some air when we left so he decided to walk. Harry’s been a bit down and you know how he likes to go on walks so he might not have called anyone…” Eleanor replied.

“Alright, well, I’ll call you back if I hear anything, yeah?” 

“Yeah, okay. Just, make sure you call me if you know ANYTHING. Bye Zayn!”

Zayn hung up but he wasn’t too worried. Louis was probably off with Harry just trying to keep him from finding out about the party. 

“Hey Niall! Get in here!” Zayn called waiting for the boy to join he and Liam.

“What’s up Zayn?” Liam asked as soon as Niall appeared.

“Have either of you heard from Louis or Harry? Eleanor just called a little worried, said she hasn’t heard from them in the last few hours and they weren’t at their place either.” Zayn asked.

“No, come to think of it. Big day and all, just figured everyone was busy getting ready..” Niall responded. 

“Alright, well, I’m sure they’re fine but maybe text around and see if anyone has seen them? Looks like El needs one of us to pick her up…” 

“I’ll go! Maybe even see if we can retrace which way Louis would have walked home” Liam replied.

“See ya later then, Payno!” 

\-----  
Darkness…pain…numb hands…louis. 

LOUIS.

Not many thoughts came to Harry as he pulled himself awake but that one thought was enough to jolt his entire body. His hands were definitely going numb from the tightness of the bindings and being stuck in the same place for so long. He still feel the van moving and could tell it was getting darker outside, they had to have been driving for two hours at least. Hopefully by now the boys realized something was wrong, that Louis had been found okay.

How was he going to get out of this though…?

\-----  
Liam pulled up in the city center where El was standing and waiting for him to arrive. She was surprised to have received the call from him telling her he was on his way but grateful nonetheless. She had even agreed to show Liam the usual path Louis took whenever he walked back to his and Harry’s flat. 

It was in comfortable silence that they rode now besides the occasional instruction from Eleanor to turn this way or that. They found nothing but decided to check out where Harry normally went walking as well. The longer they went with no word from the two the worse the pit in their stomachs felt…

Liam knew the path Harry took well but his headlights found nothing there either. It wasn’t until miles down the road that Liam’s headlights came across a scene that left him feeling sick. Both he and Eleanor recognized Louis’ slacks, the bags he had been carrying, and his all too familiar hoodie. 

“Louis? LOUIS!” Liam shrieked in hopes of getting some sort of response. 

When they finally reached him they could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. Louis was unconscious, sweating but shaking as if he were cold, with labored breathing and vomit coming out of his still gagged mouth. It was then they noticed that he was bound and quickly released him.

Liam flipped him onto his back while Eleanor brushed the hair out of his eyes before finally coming to her senses and reaching for her cell phone calling the local emergency services. When she relayed all the information she could and gave them their location all she and Liam could do was wonder what in the world had happened. Louis had been completely fine just hours before…

“Eleanor…what if..? Harry…where is Harry?!” Liam was desperately trying to wrap his head around the situation but failing.

“I don’t know Liam but one…one thing at a time, yeah?” Eleanor attempted to comfort him but couldn’t stop the questions from forming in her own mind as well. They had to stay focused on Louis for the moment as his breathing worsened by the second and his body slowly shut down.

It took close to ten minutes before the paramedics arrived seeing as they were on the very edge of the city but they took one look at Louis before they knew they had to act fast.

“Sir, sir can you hear me? My name is Bradley and I’m a paramedic, can you hear me? Sir?” The paramedic was surprised to receive a response from the boy below him but the encounter went downhill fast.

Everyone surrounded Louis the minute he even shifted and listened closely as one word desperately made its way from Louis’ lips.

“ha..harr…harryyy…HARRY! HARRY! YOU HAVE TO GET HARRY! Harry…you gotta…” was all that came out before Louis went limp again. Paramedics exchanged quick glances before quickly getting him up on the gurney and loading him into the ambulance. Eleanor and Liam quickly retrieved Louis’ belongings from the ground before heading back to the car. 

Eleanor found Louis’ phone only feet away from the boy and decided to see if she could find out any answers from there. The first thing to pop up on the screen after she unlocked it had her crying out in surprise as she quickly got Liam’s attention and waited until they both shared equal faces of horror. 

It was a picture of Harry in a van, bound and gagged. They called everyone they could think of on the way to the hospital, only telling them that something had happened and they needed to meet immediately. 

Liam and Eleanor held hands, trying to anchor themselves to reality. To the reality that their friend was now fighting for his life and Harry was nowhere to be seen…

\-----  
Louis was being pulled from the darkness by a figure standing over him asking him something but the words…they didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. It was in between his struggle to breathe and pain all over that Harry’s bound figure suddenly came to mind.

He could vaguely make out the figures above him but Liam and Eleanor’s faces suddenly gave him a surge of energy, speaking with an urgency he knew he needed to convey.

“ha..harr…harryyy…HARRY! HARRY! YOU HAVE TO GET HARRY! Harry…you gotta…” was all Louis could manage before he felt the darkness taking over him again. He hoped that he had efficiently communicated something to the people around him at least…

\-----  
Louis was quickly unloaded from the ambulance in the bay and rushed inside to the emergency room. Doctors and nurses were surrounding him in no time and shouting orders this way and that, attempting to figure out what was in his system.

Liam and Eleanor weren’t too far behind, rushing in to see if they could find out any news but instead were met with a voice telling them they would have to wait. They hadn’t been sitting long when group by group the others began to arrive with questions, questions neither of them had answers for. Eventually the group were moved to a private waiting room.

The final groups to arrive were the ones Liam and Eleanor dreaded the most. First, Jay, Lottie, and co. were rushed into the room where they tearfully listened to the pair’s explanation of what they found. The Tomlinson family found themselves on their knees with worry and tears. Everyone gathered around and hugged the family, praying with them that news, and good news, would come fast.

It was then that Anne, Gemma, and Robin hurried in and looked around the room in confusion. No one was looking them in the eye until Liam finally built the courage to walk over, explaining what had happened to Louis. He then explained that all they knew was that Harry had been taken and that the only person with answers right now was fighting for his life.

They all settled back into their own areas of the room as no one even attempted to comfort the others in this moment. What would they even say to each other? Louis was in critical condition and Harry was still missing. No words could ever take that pain and uncertainty away in the moment…

Liam, Niall, and Zayn sat huddled together taking in everything around them. Harry’s family and Louis’ family, Lou Teasdale and Lux, Perrie, Sophia, Eleanor, and the security team including Paul. Des was still on his way with Anne promising him any updates as well as Niall’s family.

Liam, Niall, and Zayn started to realize just how big their family actually was. They wondered how they had missed how big it had gotten and how distant everyone had become recently despite it all. It was then they held tightly to each other, praying for Louis’ safety and Harry’s return. They had been stripped of two essential parts of their lives and in that moment realized how much they truly needed each other. 

\-----

Harry woke with a start in the van, realizing it had come to a sudden stop causing him to lurch forward but still rooted to the same spot in the van. He waited as the man and woman finally climbed out and he could barely make out the woman moving up a path towards a house. When the doors finally opened he was met with the man’s steely face and the man moved forward to untie the ends holding Harry to the floor before gripping his arm and pulling him out of the van.

He took in the scene as best he could, taking in the rather old house in front of him that appeared to be quite literally in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but forest surrounding them and Harry was being steered toward the front of the house where the woman had disappeared minutes before. 

Still bound and gagged he was led inside to a couch in what he presumed was the living area. The man shoved him down onto the couch before crouching down in front of him.

“Now listen here, I’m going to remove the rope and gag, but if you so much as make ONE wrong move, you’ll be begging for mercy by the time I’m done with you, got it?” 

Harry nodded and waited for the man to finish before slowly stretching his sore and still slightly numb limbs. 

The man took a seat across the room with a gun in his lap watching Harry cautiously. The woman returned seconds later offering Harry dinner which he took only out of fear of what might happen if he refused…

When he finished he laid the plate next to him and quietly thanked the woman for her generosity before nervously playing with his hands. The man finished his own meal and walked to the kitchen to rinse the dishes. The woman disappeared with a sympathetic look and Harry tried to formulate some sort of escape plan. The man had the keys to the van but if he could knock the man out while the woman was distracted he could make an escape…Harry watched the woman make her way up some stairs and decided he wanted to do this now while he still had an opportunity. 

He waited behind the wall as he listened for the man’s heavy footsteps to walk back his way and as soon as the man turned the corner Harry attacked. He pushed and punched with all his might but despite the initial shock written across the man’s face he was no match against him. The man quickly gained the upper hand forcing Harry to his knees with a hand firmly grabbing his hair and the base of his neck, forcing Harry to look up at him.

“WHAT. DID. I. TELL. YOU.” The man angrily shot at Harry before delivering a swift kick to his ribs, repeating the action until Harry was struggling to catch his breath. The man forced him up to his feet and pushed him towards a door in the hallway which the woman, who had watched the scene in quiet horror, reluctantly opened. The man walked with Harry down the stairs before pushing him slightly ahead into the basement. 

Harry took in the damp, cement room that surrounded him now. No windows, no doors, nothing but a pole in the middle of the room and a dirty mattress laid upon an old steel bed frame. The man waved his gun dangerously waiting for Harry to turn back around.

Their eyes met and the man menacingly took a second before saying “Strip. Now. Down to the boxers”.

Harry wanted to refuse but his protesting ribs decided that wasn’t an option. He slowly removed his clothes and laid them on the floor before the man pointed to the bed, indicating to Harry that he should move there.

Harry reluctantly sat down on the mattress where he found the man grabbing more rope off of the wall. “No, no, NO, I promise. I’ll be good, I won’t try anything I promise just please, please don’t tie me up again!” Harry cried but to no avail. The man gave him a dangerous look before quickly tying Harry’s legs to the bed before moving up to his arms and drawing the rope as tight as possible.

Harry pleaded with the man but soon the man was shoving a rag into his mouth and then tying a gag around him again. This couldn’t be happening to him…

The man double checked all the restraints and the gag before turning off the only light in the room and climbing back up the stairs where he shut the door to the basement and padlocked it. He turned to the woman, daring her to fight him on anything that had just happened before climbing up the stairs to the bedroom. 

Harry cried to himself, ribs hurting and bound tightly to the bed in nothing but his boxers. The room was agonizingly cold and he had been plunged into absolute darkness. Eventually he tired himself out and fell into a restless sleep…


	5. Critical

“Tomlinson family?” 

“Oh, yes! Yes, we’re here,” Jay replied to the doctor who had just walked in. She tried as quickly as possible to wipe the tears from her eyes as she walked up to him one-on-one, “How is he? How is Louis?”

“Louis is still critical. To be frank, we still haven’t been able to identify the substance they used on him. He’s fighting but weak, Ms. Tomlinson, and his body is slowly shutting down. We’re waiting on the full workup of his blood tests to come back but I promise you we’re doing everything we can. You’re all of course still welcome to stay here as long as you need but I it’s going to be touch and go for the next few days, I recommend going home and getting some rest.” 

“Well I’m not going anywhere but thank you for the update…” 

“Ma’am, I’m sure you’ve been questioned by the police that were here earlier and I was told about the photo found of the other boy but…do you have any idea who could’ve done this? I’m sure poison could’ve been found easy on the black markets but is there any possibility it could be a disgruntled co-worker? A fellow nurse who might have access to stuff like this?” the doctor asked.

Jay found herself struck with the possibility but who did she have any problems with? She didn’t remember anyone except…that woman from years ago, the woman who was in her mid-30’s and vying for the same position at the hospital as herself. The woman had threatened her when the job had been given to Jay but would she really go this far?

“Umm, no, I have no idea.” Jay replied.

“Okay then, I’ll be sure to keep you all updated with any news as it becomes available.” The doctor said with a slight smile before walking off to check on his other patients.

“Jay? Jay is everything alright?” Jay heard Anne tearfully ask before turning to face her. 

“I…I don’t know. I just don’t know…” Jay replied before crumpling to her knees and being held by Anne. The two woman clung to each other as they both faced the uncertainty with their sons.  
\-----

Louis felt trapped. He remembered being found on the street and the voices and Harry…oh God, Harry…but he felt terrible. He was too hot but cold at the same time, everything hurt and he couldn’t even bring himself to move or break free of the darkness.

He could hear the voice around him saying things about blood pressure and temperature and more tests but why couldn’t he wake up?  
What was going on with him?

Where was his family?

Most importantly, where is Harry?  
\-----

Harry came to after what felt like days later. Had he actually been asleep that long? It was as he tried to stretch his sore muscles that he remembered his reality. The pain in his ribs slowly bringing him back, his bound form still held tightly in place, but something was different.

The light, the light is on.

Harry looked over to the stairs to find the man patiently waiting for him to come to his senses. The man slowly rose and walked over to Harry, giving him the same dangerous look as before before untying him and letting him regain his composure. Harry sat up and the man laid his clothes on the bed beside him, minus his shoes and phone, before standing in the corner and waiting for him to dress. The man led him back upstairs to the kitchen where the woman was preparing breakfast…had he actually managed to sleep through the night?

Harry sat down and looked around the room at all the pictures of the couple and antique figurines placed about. The couple in the pictures weren’t the same that stood in front of him now though, these people were tired and worn looking. They all sat down to eat in perfect silence and no one even made a sound besides the scraping of utensils on plates until they finished.

When he’d finished, the woman apologized as she got up and tied Harry’s arms to the armrests before sitting back down across from him.

“Right, so, Harry. Can I call you Harry? First off, I’m sorry for kicking you last night. I promise we never intended to bring you any harm…yeah?” the man started off.

“Are you kidding me?! Maybe you should have thought of that before you KIDNAPPED me and my friend and freaking POISONED him!” Harry shot back.

Something flashed in the man’s eyes and Harry immediately felt uncomfortable but he continued anyway, “Why are you doing this? Why couldn’t you have just left Louis out of this? If all you wanted was money why didn’t you just take me and force me to empty my bank account? Why all of this?” Harry cautiously asked. 

“Because, young Harry, Louis got involved the minute his mother took what was rightfully mine a few years back. She had to know that she wouldn’t go unpunished. If I had gotten that job my husband and I wouldn’t be here in this mess, under threat of losing everything we own. Ms. Tomlinson has Louis, why does she even need a job? No, we needed Louis not just for your cooperation but for payback.” The woman exclaimed.

“This is all about some stupid job?! Are you serious? Louis didn’t do anything to you! Is he even alive?!” Harry angrily asked.

“We don’t know and frankly I don’t care at this point. Ms. Tomlinson should have thought about that before. You, little moneymaker, are here for one purpose and one purpose only. We promise no harm to you as long as you cooperate and we receive safe passage as well as ransom in the appropriate amount of time. You have to understand Harry that we are good people, desperate, but you are the perfect ticket out of this hell. Now, my husband here will escort you back down to your room until we can figure out how we’re going to go about this.”

The man rose and untied Harry’s arms before showing him back down the hallway to the basement. However, this time the man shut the door behind him. Instead of tying Harry to the bed again he tied his arms tight behind him around the pole in the middle of the room before shoving the rag back in his mouth and tying the gag around his head. 

“Boy, if I EVER hear you disrespect my wife like that again, I will KILL you, do you understand?” the man asked.

Harry simply nodded but promptly felt a few punches delivered to his ribs and one particularly hard one to his face before the man turned off the light again and stalked up the stairs, padlocking the door at the top. Harry slowly slid down to the floor to allow the aching in his ribs to die down, feeling his hope of escape dying with it.

The next week followed this pattern. Harry tied in the pitch black basement, at least in clothes now to keep him slightly warmer than the first night, allowed one maybe two meals a day before being led back down to isolation. He was losing track of time and losing his mind.  
\-----

None of the boys knew what to do, what to say. They switched off going home to take showers and change clothes. They brought back small meals for everyone as no one had much of an appetite. Thankfully the waiting room they had been given wasn’t used often so the doctor allowed them to permanently stay.

Louis was still in the Critical Care Unit but under careful observation. He’d flatlined several times as well as seized but the doctors worked tirelessly to keep his body going. Each new development bringing more to the hard weight already on their shoulders. 

The blood tests were being thoroughly examined and therefore were taking longer to receive back. The doctors were optimistic that they would identify the poison though and be able to administer the antidote in time.

Harry was still missing though. Anne constantly kept up with the police investigation but so far they had nothing to go on. There were at least a million vans similar to the one Harry had been pictured in and no one had witnessed the kidnapping. No traces were left behind and no demands made. 

Silence. Just pure silence.

That was by far the worst part. Their typically lively lives filled with meaningless activity during the break were now filled with deafening silence. Louis would always find a way to make a bad situation a little brighter but in this moment, Louis wasn’t even assured to pull through this. Harry would be taking care of everyone but now it was up to the other three to do that job. How had they pushed each other way for so long? Sure they were together all the time on tour but because of security reasons they didn’t even stay together overnight anymore. They were slowly losing themselves but in this they were finding each other again.

Despite everything, they were going to pull together again.  
\-----

What Harry figured to be about a week later, the couple decided that they were finally going to call from a prepaid phone to make the ransom demand in exchange for Harry. 5 million pounds in exchange for his safe return on their terms. 

“Now, we’re going to make the call so we need to know the number. Go on, type it in” the woman coaxed him after finishing his breakfast one morning. He reluctantly typed his mother’s cell phone number knowing that she would be with the others waiting for news on Louis and himself. 

As soon as he put the number in the man took over to tie his arms to the chair and tied a gag on to ensure he wouldn’t give anything way while they were on the phone. Harry waited with baited breath as the woman held the phone up to her ear. He could barely hear the sound of his mother’s voice picking up on the other end.

“Yes, is this Anne? Is this Mrs. Twist?” the woman asked, waiting for the reply.

Harry couldn’t hear his mother’s replies but listened to the conversation anyway.

“We have your son and if you listen, we promise to return him safely. Do you understand?”

“Good, now, no police are to be involved or Harry will be in danger. How abo- Yes, yes of course he’s fine. What? No. Not even in the question. Mrs. Twist I’m going to ha- Okay. Maybe we can try this again later when you’ve calmed yourself” the woman replied before hurriedly hanging up.

“Ughh, she just kept going on about wanting to talk to the boy. We’ll have to continue this later” the woman said to her husband. The man had held a firm grip on Harry’s shoulder the whole time and now provided a quick slap to his bruised jaw before untying him and leading him back downstairs to the bed this time, quickly tying him tightly back in place.

Harry was beginning to feel the effects of being here. His sore ribs still ached as much as before, causing him difficulty breathing. The ropes were leaving marks where they dug into his skin and the damp basement was making him sick. Harry was finding himself in a fit of coughs more and more which was made difficult by the gag and stuffy nose.

He needed out of here and he needed out soon. He hadn’t even been able to use his inhaler since he had left it at home on the counter. He wasn’t sure he could keep this up much longer…


	6. Phone Call

“Yes, I promise, there’s nothing more to update love. Louis’ still the same and no word on my baby boy…Robin, no, one of us needs to keep the bills paid for. Just stay where you are and if anything changes I’ll be sure to let you know. Okay, I love you too…bye” Anne ended her phone call with Robin solemnly.

Robin, after constant insistence from Anne, had returned to work while they waited. It had been a week with no news. One week without any sighting, any trace, any inkling that he was even safe. 

When her phone started ringing again she immediately expected it to be Robin calling back, having forgotten something or another family member checking in but…no…this was a private number. Could it be…?

Anne quickly answered the blocked number without a moment’s hesitation.

“He-…hello?” Anne asked.

“Yes, is this Anne? Is this Mrs. Twist?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Umm, yes. May I ask who this is?”

“We have your son and if you listen, we promise to return him safely. Do you understand?”

“What?! Yes, yes of course.”

“Good, now, no police are to be involved or Harry will be in danger. How abo-“ 

“Who are you?! Is he…is my baby okay?”

“Yes, yes of course he’s fine.”

“What do you want?! Please, PLEASE let me talk to him…”

“What? No. Not even in the question. Mrs. Twist I’m going to ha-“

“PLEASE, PLEASE JUST LET ME HERE HIS VOICE. Please, just let me here for myself that he’s okay?!”

“Okay. Maybe we can try this again later when you’ve calmed yourself” the woman spoke before promptly hanging up.

Anne couldn’t believe it. This was real and as much as she wanted to run to the police station, she didn’t want to do anything that would put her baby at risk. No, no police. Hysterics began racking her body as she sat outside the hospital still but no one was around to hear. No one was there to understand her pain. Why couldn’t she have just kept it together? Now she had to wait for them to call back…but this time, she would keep herself as composed as possible, whatever it took to get him back safely in her arms.

It was at this point that Liam walked out to Anne and enveloped her in a hug, assuming that her emotional breakdown was due to the situation and not knowing of the phone call. They sat for a few minutes before Liam spoke up.

“So, doctor just came in…they’ve been able to identify the poison and they’re going to start treating him. They said the next few hours would be the most important but they’re staying optimistic. Maybe he’ll wake up soon, maybe can get some answers…Anne, are you alright? Did something happen?” Liam asked, panicking a little at how hysterical she truly looked in this moment.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just got caught up in the situation I guess” Anne lied. She couldn’t even bring herself to tell the police about the phone call, she definitely wasn’t about to put that weight on this boys shoulders.

“That’s great though, how’s Jay taking it? Is she okay?” Anne asked.

“Yeah, Jay’s relieved actually. She’s just trying to keep the twins distracted, bit restless being stuck in the room and all…” Liam replied.

“Well, let’s head back inside then, see if we can’t get a few more smiles on everyone’s faces.”

\-----  
Louis could feel the minute the doctors and nurses started administering something in his IV. Still trapped in his own mind without being able to move sucked, plain and simple, but it was almost as if the tension slowly drifted out.

The people working around him were beginning to sound more optimistic as the hours ticked by and whatever was working through his body began to take effect. Could he really survive this hell? He almost felt so, right before a shaking in his upper body brought that crashing down and darkness began to overtake him…

He couldn’t take it anymore, if this was to be his end, he only hoped it went fast…

\-----  
In the private waiting room everyone was still seated when a doctor and several nurses were alerted to an alarm coming from a room on the other side of the doors. The monitors beeped wildly before crashing…

Jay didn’t want to believe it but she knew, call it a mother’s intuition. It was only as she headed to the glass doors at the ICU that she could confirm it. Though the antidote was successfully reversing most of the poison’s effects, Louis’ body was weak. They knew it still might come to this but she prayed that whatever fight her son had left in him would last long enough to get him through this last hurdle. He was seizing in the bed though before yet again flatlining…doctor and nurses worked wildly around him until…wait a minute…was that a heartbeat?!

Slowly the people in the room relaxed and left one by one until the doctor took one last look at the monitors and stood over the boy’s bed. Jay could see his lips moving but Louis was unconscious, wasn’t he? Or was that…did he just blink? The doctor actually managed a choked laugh before turning to look at Jay across the ICU floor and instructing a nurse at the station to push the button to open the doors. He motioned at her to come to the room, which she quickly did.

She looked down at her eldest, taking in his paleness and sweatiness. His breathing and wires hooked up every which way. But what struck her the most was the moment their eyes connected. Baby blues staring back at her in pain but in an instant in relief…the doctor walked out of the room to allow them a moment and Jay immediately wrapped her hands around her son’s just as he said, “Hey mom…”


	7. Fighting

Harry woke in the bed again, still struggling to breathe from laying all night. He could feel the chills beginning to overtake his body despite the fever beginning to rage. The damp room was making him sick and without proper medicine or his inhaler at the least, it would only get worse from here…He could already tell a huge difference in his energy level which was too low now.

He just wanted to go home. The man came down but Harry refused his meal for the day, deciding instead that he didn’t even have the energy to make it up the stairs. He thought the man would at least fight back but instead he shrugged, turning off the light and heading back up the stairs, leaving Harry tied in the bed.

It wasn’t maybe two hours later though that the man returned, this time with a phone in his hand covering the receiver. 

“Your mother wants to hear your voice but I swear if you say one thing to screw this up, I will hurt you. Got it?”

Harry nodded as the man reached behind him to untie the gag before holding the phone up to his ear. Harry let out a shaky breath before finally finding the courage to squeak out, “Mom?”

“Ohh baby…oh Harry. Are you okay? You sound terrible baby boy, are you hurt? Harry? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, yeah mom, I’m here. I’m okay, just feeling a bit sick, probably never going to hear the end of it for forgetting my inhaler am I…?” Harry tried to joke.

“Harry…I want you to listen to me. I love you, very much, and I promise we will get you out of there soon. Just stay strong for me and your sister and everyone, okay? Stay strong baby, even for Louis. I’m sure you’re wondering what happened to him but he’s okay now. And you will be too but you have to hold on okay?” Anne said shakily.

“Of course mom, I love you too…” Harry trailed off as the man pulled the phone away before retying the gag and heading back upstairs. He couldn’t hold it in anymore as he broke down finally, allowing his emotions to take over.

The next time the man came down Harry asked if he could eat to which the man obliged but had to help Harry’s weak frame up the stairs. The sickness was quickly taking its toll so as soon as he finished his meal he was taken back downstairs and placed back in the bed where he immediately fell asleep, dreaming of his mother and the boys back home…

\-----  
Louis awoke with a start to find Anne seated in the chair beside his bed. He slowly turned to face her taking in her haggard appearance before clearing his throat to get her attention.

“Hey Anne, it’s nice to see you again…” Louis got out before she turned to face him.

“Louis, oh thank goodness…everyone has been so worried about you. You’ve got your own personal army waiting out there to be frank,” Anne said with a chuckle, “your mom left about an hour ago after you fell asleep. She wanted to get the kids out for a while but said to tell you she’ll be back as soon as she can”. 

“Ha, tell them to go home…seriously, it can only get better from here right? I mean, I know I’m not out of the woods but…So, umm, any news on Harry…?” Louis asked cautiously, not wanting to upset Anne any further than she already looked.

“No, nothing yet, but Louis…I’m scared. What if…what if he’s not okay?” Anne replied truthfully, struck by how easy it was to open up about her fears to the boy in front of her. 

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t he be? If you haven’t heard anything then there’s no reason to think otherwise…right? Anne? You wouldn’t lie to us right?” Louis cautioned, wondering what would cause Anne to begin thinking the worst.

“No, no, of course not. You’re right.” Anne replied, a little too quickly Louis noted.

“He’s going to be okay Anne, I promise. We both know how strong he is…he wouldn’t give up without a fight Anne…I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to remember any details about the couple. Everything just happened so fast and became a blur after the poison…I’m so, so sorry…It should have been me.” Louis tearfully stated.

“No, no Louis. You have nothing to apologize for. Harry would never want you to be in that position, neither do I. You’re right, he’s going to be okay. How are you and Eleanor, by the way?” Anne asked.

“Oh yeah…I guess, I guess with everything that’s happened we hadn’t really had a chance to talk to everyone. We’ve…we kinda…we broke up, Anne.” Louis stated, watching Anne’s face for any reaction.

“Oh Lou, I’m so sorry. But why? You two seemed so happy?”

“It’s…well…it’s Harry actually.” 

“I’m sorry, come again?” Anne questioned.

“Harry…You remember a few months back when he confessed his feelings? Well, just because I didn’t say anything didn’t mean I didn’t feel the same, I just didn’t know what to feel. Harry has my heart, he always has Anne but I felt too guilty about the thought of leaving Eleanor. When we were out shopping on his birthday though, El somehow sensed what I was thinking and she ended it. Anne…I planned to tell him at the party, what if I waited too late…?”

“Louis…don’t go backtracking on me now, weren’t you just saying he was going to be alright? Love, it’s never too late when it comes to matters of the heart. When we bring him home safe you’ll be sure to tell him everything you’ve held back, yeah? You know you have my full support, you’ve been part of the family from the very beginning.”

“Thanks Anne, I just hope I get the chance to prove I truly am the right person for him…”

At that moment Anne’s phone started ringing, showing up as a blocked number again. Anne immediately excused herself from the room before answering the call.  
\-----  
The minute the woman had called her back Anne knew what she needed to do. Harry was sick, and weak, she needed to be there with him. She needed to get his inhaler to him at the very least..

Naturally the minute she even suggested the possibility of being reunited with her son the couple blanched but offering herself up to them meant seeing Harry. With a little coaxing they finally agreed to her request, working out the finer details including how to get in touch with Robin to demand a ransom in exchange for the two before the couple told her where to be.

It hadn’t taken as much fighting as she would have expected but the couple even noted the change in the boy’s demeanor since falling ill and decided a dead hostage was no good to them. So now Anne found herself, mere hours later, standing outside an abandoned building with a couple of Harry’s inhalers as well as a nebulizer just to be safe. 

She knew exactly the right moment to take her leave from the hospital, lying about the need to go back to the hotel for a quick shower and clean clothes. Thankfully Robin had always kept bags in the truck in case an impromptu trip came up. She easily snuck away under the pretense of just needing some time alone to see if the investigation was getting anywhere.

It was now that she stood in one of the many familiar spots along the route that Harry often loved to walk along that she waited.

However, what she hadn’t counted on was Gemma following her. 

“Oh m- Gem? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! Turn around and go back to the hospital, now!” she pleaded with her daughter.

She felt bad for being so caught up in her own mind for the past week and a half. Gemma had been there to take care of her but she hadn’t done a very good job as a mother to do the same. She couldn’t let Gemma get involved in this though…

“No, no you’ve been hiding something from me from the very first phone call and I knew it. I’m not going to let you do whatever this is alone mum, I’m going with you. I know you wouldn’t leave without me unless something had happened with Harry. Harry needs us, both of us, to keep strong for him. You can’t stop me…”

She turned out to be right as just then the van she presumed to be picking her up pulled up. The man she assumed to have spoken to on the phone didn’t seem too happy about the additional presence either though.

“What is this?! I said one could go and ONLY one…” the man fumed.

“Oh bother, honey, it’s too late now,” Anne and Gemma heard a woman’s voice calling from the van, “we can’t very well leave any witnesses until this is over. Put them both in and let’s GO.”

“And you’ll take us to Harry? Is he okay?” Anne frantically asked.

“Yes, yes, I’ll take you to the little shit. Now just shut up and get in the van, we don’t have time for this.”

The man pointed them towards the back of the van after ensuring they had no weapons before pulling back onto the road. In a few hours time Anne, who currently had an equally scared Gemma in her arms, would be with her baby, and now, after her conversation with Louis, she knew exactly what words to use to keep him fighting.


	8. Puzzle Piece

“Zayn…hey Zayn, wake up mate!” Liam called.

“Wha…what? What? What’s going on?”

“Nothing just, you need anything? I was thinking about taking Anne’s advice and heading out soon to catch some sleep. We won’t be able to see Louis until he’s moved to a regular room so…”

“Yeah, that sounds great actually. What about Ni?” Zayn said, looking around until he found the blonde laying curled up in the corner of the waiting room.

“Go figure, we should probably take that one with us then too.”

Zayn got up and walked over to the blonde. Under normal circumstances he might have been tempted to pull a prank but considering the last week and a half…

“Niall, wake up!” Zayn said slightly shaking the kid’s shoulders until he looked up at him sleepily. “Come on, let’s go back to Liam’s and get refreshed, we’ll come back tomorrow or something.”

“Mkay…carry me?” Niall asked.

“No, absolutely not. Come on, lazy arse, get up!” Liam laughed.

The three of them moved slowly, grabbing their jackets and whatnot scattered about the room. They also woke up Perrie, Eleanor, and Sophia before heading for the car. Thankfully, Lou had taken Lux home to be taken care of leaving just Paul in the waiting room. He refused to leave in case Louis’ condition changed or the kidnappers made any moves again but promised to call if anything happened. 

Since they had been using the hotel room Anne had booked that was a little closer for the last week and half it took them a minute to process everything when they turned the lights on at Liam’s house. Decorations, cake, brightly wrapped presents…

Harry’s birthday.

They hadn’t even thought about everything still being up when the phone call came in about Louis and Harry but now…

“Umm, *cough*, come on guys…let’s just get showers and go to bed and we’ll worry about what to do with all this later, yeah?” Liam awkwardly said.

The six of them just stood there though, thinking of how that day was supposed to go. 

“Couldn’t you just imagine the look on Harry’s face when he walked in and saw this?” Eleanor asked.

“Yeah, he’d probably be grumpy about us “forgetting his birthday” or something before everyone would have jumped up. He’d be so surprised before cracking one of his dumb jokes.” Liam laughed.

“Then he and Louis would have made googly eyes at each other all night.” Niall joked, earning a look from the others.

They all knew the truth, Eleanor had informed them on the way over about her and Louis’ breakup but they had seen it coming for a while so it wasn’t too big a shock, even for Eleanor herself.

“Yeah, but at least they would have been together…and well…” Zayn trailed off, suddenly misty eyed. They stood for a moment, all looking at each other, before suddenly jumping into a group hug and everyone was crying. They had forgotten what it felt like to all be together like this, so stripped down of their hectic lives and full of emotion. There were whispers of “I’m sorry”, “it’s okay”, “I missed you” before they were finally able to pull themselves together and then apart. 

Slowly but surely they shared hugs before reminding each other to check on everyone the next day. They knew Lou and Tom had their hands full with Lux, Jay with the twins and her daughters, Des being delayed in arriving by bad weather since he had been in America at the time, Anne and Gemma…wait a minute.

“Hey, did anyone happen to see Gemma leave? I knew Anne left but Gemma never said anything” Liam suddenly thought.

“No, but they’re going through a lot, y’know? She probably just wanted to make sure Anne was okay and find out if they had heard anything about Harry…” Zayn replied.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Alright lads and ladies, let’s get some rest.” Liam finally said.

They broke off to their rooms, Zayn and Perrie taking one, Liam and Sophia going to his, and Niall on his own. 

None of them were able to really relax though knowing that Louis was still in rough shape despite finally waking up and Harry…

They drifted off to sleep until Liam was the only one, holding a sleeping Sophia in his arms. He turned just enough to look out the window. 

“Come on Harry, where are you…?”

\-----  
Back at the house Harry awoke again but found himself in a considerably different position. At some point the man must have come in and moved him as he was no longer tied to the bed like before. No, the bed frame was gone and all that was left was the mattress on the ground in the corner of the basement. He no longer had the rag in his mouth or the gag around. Instead he found that his arms were tied behind his back and legs bound and a strip of duct tape over his mouth.

What in the world…?

Harry didn’t think too long on it though as he started coughing, made difficult yet again by the duct tape. The cough sent shots of pain throughout his lungs and still sore ribs. He could hear the congestion built up and started wondering if this was going to be his own end. This was supposed to be a simple kidnap and ransom right? Why was he still here? He knew his mom and Robin couldn’t come up with the money they were asking on their own but he had more than enough put away they could access…

It had to have been at least a week? Maybe two by now? The first week had been fairly simple but ever since his allergies flared up causing a cold and maybe even pneumonia now it was all just becoming too much…the couple had at least either agreed to bring his meals down or help him upstairs since he still had to use the bathroom…

The fever began to muddle his thoughts though and he was glad to allow the exhaustion to overtake him once again…

\-----  
Anne and Gemma rode silently in the back of the van, hoping that by showing their cooperation they would be taken to Harry relatively pain free. The couple before them didn’t seem violent but the man certainly had a dangerous edge to his tone and features.

Neither of them spoke to each other but Anne couldn’t keep her thoughts from the picture she had been shown the first day of Harry’s kidnapping. She could see a loop in the floor where he must have been tied to. She wondered why the couple had decided to let them sit freely while treating her son so poorly. What reason did they have to do that Louis either?

She was pulled from her thoughts though as the van hit a bump in the road, startling Gemma awake. They had been on the road for at least an hour but being that it was so late at night and the windows were tinted there was no way to tell where they even were. 

It wasn’t until another hour later when the road suddenly turned to gravel and they made their way up a long winding road and came to a stop that Anne allowed her mind to reel again. What were they going to find when they entered the house? Was Harry still okay? The last time she had talked to him on the phone she could hear the pain and wheezing in his voice…

The couple exited the van and disappeared for a moment before opening the sliding door and motioning for them to move. Gemma stepped out first and was grabbed by the woman who quickly bound her hands behind her back before Anne got out and the man did the same with her.

“But, the supplies, I need to get them inside somehow…” Anne said worriedly, had this all just been a ruse to get more money? They surely wouldn’t let her get this far with no intention of helping her son…

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve got them, just walk.” The man said, slinging the bag over his shoulder.

They were quickly led inside and down a small hallway where the woman pulled a key out and unlocked a padlocked door. She opened and gestured them down the stairs where Anne suddenly felt her anxiety take over her. She couldn’t see anything at the bottom in the pitch blackness, not even Gemma who was somewhere in front of her. The woman gripped her upper arm suddenly in a firm grip before the man brushed past and found Gemma. She could hear Gemma’s scuffling footsteps and then they abruptly stopped.

Now Anne felt the man grab her arm from the woman and led her forward to some sort of pole. He untied her arms only to retie them around the pole before tying a gag around. She could feel Gemma in a similar pose next to her as she slid into a sitting position. The man and woman laid the bag Anne had brought for Harry at the entrance to the basement before heading back up the stairs and closing the door to the hallway, re-locking it. 

It wasn’t until the silence came that Anne could really listen. Her eyes never adjusted to any kind of light so she wondered if there even was anything around them. It didn’t take long for her or Gemma to pick up on the sound in one of the corners though, a painful cough followed by a wheezing breath. Muffled by something. Anne and Gemma knew immediately what, or who, was there. They tried with all their might to break free of the rope but the man had seemed to know what he was doing. They couldn’t do anything but grab onto each other’s hands behind their backs and pray that they would be able to help him soon…

\-----  
Louis awoke in the hospital the next morning to an empty room. He could read on the clock that it was just after ten but was surprised by the lack of someone with him. His mom was an almost constant presence if not Lottie or Anne. Technically even Anne shouldn’t have been allowed in here but his mom had a way with the nurses at the station since she had even worked alongside some of them once in a while. 

It was then that he could make out the sound of what sounded like a rowdy bunch coming down the hall. He could barely make out his sisters’ voices before they quieted down and his mom entered his room moments later…

“Lou, you’re awake! I’m sorry I wasn’t here last night when you woke up but the girls and twins needed some fresh air. How are you feeling dear?” Jay asked.

“I’m good mum…just really tired.”

“Ahh, that’s to be expected though. You need to REST, so why don’t you try going back to sleep? Doctor says you’ll have to be in here at least a few more days before you can be moved to a normal room. He says with all things considered you should be able to head home within a week or so…” Jay happily announced.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to get back to the flat and…what? What’s that face?”

“Louis Tomlinson, you cannot seriously think that I would let you go back to your flat alone after these past two weeks. No sir, you’ll be coming HOME, to Doncaster I mean.”

“No way! There’s still no word on Harry and I’m not just going to leave London without knowing anything! Mum…mum I…I love Harry.”

“I know, I know you do Louis, we all do but you can’t be alone. This is going to take some time to bounce back from.”

“No, mum, I mean I’m IN love with Harry…” Louis slowly trailed off, hoping that would finally get his point across. He watched the confusion disappear from his mom’s face almost as soon as it had appeared.

“Oh….OHHHH. After that time Harry told you about his…feelings…for you though, you seemed so dead set against anything. I mean, you know, with him. What about Eleanor?” Jay asked.

“We, well, we broke up on Harry’s birthday. Mum, she and I knew we weren’t really going anywhere and she let me off the hook by being the one to end it. She even helped me plan the perfect way to talk to Harry. And now…”

“Louis, baby, why didn’t you talk to me about this before? You know I support you no matter what but jesus…so Harry had no idea?”

“No, like I said, I was going to tell him at his birthday party but…” Louis allowed a sob to escape him as soon as the words left his lips…Jay immediately rushed over, gathering him up as much as possible without hurting him, tubes and wires still going every which way.

“Lou…it’s going to be okay. They’ll find him okay, they’ll find him and everything will be fine. You turned out fine, so why shouldn’t he? It can only get better from here, right?” Jay said.

She was cut off by a shout from one of the nurses saying “Sir, you can’t go in there!” just before a frantic Robin burst into the room.

“Anne…Anne and Gemma…are they here? Have you seen them? Neither of them had called since yesterday evening so I drove to the hotel but they weren’t there either. Please, PLEASE, tell me you’ve heard from them?” Robin said.

Her own words suddenly flashed in her mind, “It can only get better from here, right?”

Wrong. She was so very, very wrong…

\-----  
Liam woke up to his cell phone vibrating on the night stand…he almost thought about just letting it ring before he remembered Louis. Thinking it was Paul calling he hurriedly answered.

“Hello? Paul? What’s wrong?!” Liam rushed out.

“Whoa, whoa Liam. Slow down.” Jay’s voice rang out on the other end.

“Oh, Jay, hi! Good morning! I think…is Louis okay?” He added.

“Oh yeah, of course, Louis is fine. He’s actually just fallen asleep a few minutes ago, poor thing. I was actually calling on Robin’s behalf, he apparently hasn’t heard from Anne or Gemma since late yesterday evening and drove all the way to London to check on them. They weren’t there either and they haven’t been by the hospital this morning. We can’t get them on their mobiles either. Have you heard anything dear?” 

“No, actually, I haven’t,” Liam said, suddenly feeling a weird sense of déjà vu at the present conversation, “are we sure they haven’t gone to the police station or something to check on the investigation?”

“Robin’s already checked, they haven’t been by there either. I’m sure it’s nothing Liam but if you hear anything will you please let us know? You can understand our concern, naturally. Anne did seem to be acting a bit frenzied yesterday now that I think of it…”

“Of course Jay, I’ll let the others know and we’ll be headed there in a little while, yeah?”

“Okay Liam, thanks!” Jay said, hanging up.

“Liam, babe? Everything alright?” He heard Sophia say sleepily but his only answer was to break down crying…

Could this possibly get any worse? 

\-----  
Anne and Gemma weren’t entirely sure how but they had managed to fall asleep during the night. They were woken up by the sounds of the door being unlocked before heavy footsteps found their way down the stairs. A light switch was turned on where they both blinked their eyes back into focus before turning to look at the man.

“Mornin’ ladies. Ready for a bit of grub?” the man asked, seemingly in a better mood than the night before.

They simply stared back angrily since, after all, they weren’t exactly in a position to be able to answer. They took the opportunity to look at their immediate surroundings though noting the lack of doors or windows in the room around them, just damp cement walls.

“Oh, come on now, I know you have to be getting hungry and stiff. Sorry about that. Plus, wouldn’t you want a chance to spend a little time with your beloved Harry?” the man wickedly said.

It wasn’t even until then that they had remembered the labored breathing in the room from last night. Their heads whipped around behind to the corner where the sound had come from and their eyes landed on Harry’s slumped form. 

They took in every heartbreaking piece of the missing puzzle from their family. He was tied with his hands behind his back as well as his feet being bound. Duct tape was securely placed over his mouth, causing the muffled breathing and coughs to sound excruciatingly painful. He was turned towards the wall with his back to them but appeared asleep still…or unconscious, seeing as he hadn’t even come around at the light being turned on.

“So, breakfast then?” the man asked again.

Anne turned and nodded quickly but the man first walked over to Harry, freeing him and laying the rope to the side before turning back to them. 

“I’ll set you free to be able to eat but if you try anything, he gets punished again, got it?” the man wickedly asked. 

They took in the man’s words, wondering what he meant by “again” before nodding and watching the man walk over to loosen them. As soon as he was done they went immediately to Harry.

He was pale, and shivering, but burning up with fever. Anne could tell his lungs were full from the way he wheezed and she was afraid to move him but motherly instinct took over. She carefully rolled him onto his back and brushed the unruly curls from his face before slightly shaking him to wake him up. Gemma was on his other side, taking in his too sick appearance and the dirty mattress he was laying on. All of the ropes had left marks around his wrists and though it appeared his clothes were at least being washed it didn’t seem as though he was being allowed to shower much.

“Harry? Wake up Harry, it’s Gemma and mum, we’re here” Anne said. 

She watched him for a moment before he finally cracked his eyes open and became at least somewhat alert. How had he gotten this bad in two weeks? He had been fine on his birthday from what Louis had told her…he finally looked at the two people hovering over him and his face turned confused before choking out, “Mum…Gemma…?”. 

“Yeah, Harry, it’s us!” she said quickly before watching the smile spread across his face and grabbing him up in her arms. The trio just held each other for several moments, crying and hugging.

The broke apart when the man cleared his throat in annoyance behind them. Anne put her hands on each of Harry’s cheeks, still burning with fever, before placing a kiss on his forehead and wiping away the tears still flowing. They each followed his broken gaze to the man before he suddenly turned angry.

“Wait a minute…not that I’m not happy to see you mum but you shouldn’t be here! What are you and Gem doing here?!” Harry said frantically before running short of breath and left in a fit of coughing.

“Harry, Harry, slow down! We came for YOU baby. I was happy to pay the ransom and get this over with but when they called and said you were falling ill there wasn’t time to figure out how to gather the money needed and get to you in time. The police would have only slowed us down if I had told them. And Gemma, being her usual smart self, figured out something was up after my phone calls with them. We’ve brought some inhalers and a nebulizer to help you. We’re going to get you out of here safe Harry…” Anne said, searching his eyes desperately.

“But now you’re in danger…” Harry said, shifting into a better position but wincing suddenly at the sudden movement.

“Harry, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Anne asked.

“Just, just a few bruised ribs, that’s all…” Harry said without being able to meet her eyes.

“I told you, any sudden movements and the boy gets punished…again.” The man suddenly chimed in when Anne had turned to eye him incredulously.

They finally calmed down enough for Anne and Gemma to place a hand underneath each of Harry’s arms and haul him up. The man walked up the stairs with Gemma behind and Anne wrapped Harry’s arm over her shoulder while wrapping her other arm around his waist. She noted how dizzy he had become upon standing and promised to herself to at least ask for a warm shower and water for him when they were done.

They were ushered upstairs to the quaint kitchen with antique figurines and pictures of the couple everywhere. The woman was just finishing up putting the plates and silverware on the table when they all walked up. The man motioned for Gemma to sit as he and the woman sat while Anne gently set Harry down in the chair before taking a seat herself.

“Very nice of you to join us this morning, Harry” the woman said politely. She may have been the one to come up with the idea of kidnapping the boy but that didn’t mean she didn’t care for his well-being. 

Anne didn’t care though, all she could see was red at the woman’s words.

“How dare you…” Anne started off but the man swiftly rose from his chair and Harry frighteningly placed a hand on Anne’s arm to stop her. The man glowered before settling back down and going back to eating.

“I’m…I’m sorry for my outburst. I just let my emotions get the best of me I suppose.” Anne said, if she was to have any chance at getting Harry the help he needed she needed to be in their good graces. 

They nodded stiffly in understanding but didn’t exchange any words with Anne. Gemma decidedly kept her mouth shut but kept an eye on Harry for the most part. Her brother was struggling just to get food down and was often stalled by deep, racking coughs. He was obviously in pain but she was sure he was trying not to show off just how much.

When they had finished the man stood up again, wiping off his mouth before saying, “Alright, back downstairs with the lot of you…”.

“I know it isn’t my place to ask for favors but if you would please, PLEASE allow Harry a warm bath I would be eternally grateful. The steam might help open up his lungs some to ease the coughs…” Anne said warily, attempting to gauge their reactions.

The man immediately turned angry and was about to start yelling before his wife interjected, “Of course, dear. Anything to help Harry. I promise you we have never meant him any harm and we’ll do what we can. Maybe we can wash his clothes again while we’re at it…” the woman said, taking in his appearance.

“If it’s alright, I’ve actually brought a fresh pair of clothes with me, in the bag that is down in the basement…” Anne said.

“Oh, well, that’s perfectly fine. I’ll show you to the bathroom while my husband brings the bag up for you” the woman said, eyeing the man this time.

“Yeah, fine, whatever…” he said, stalking down the stairs.

“Come on then, let’s get him to the bathroom. It’s just across the hallway here, I know the house doesn’t seem like much but the bathroom is grand! I was able to convince my husband to expand it to include a jacuzzi quite a few years back. Get him cleaned up and then you’re welcome to stay in there as long as you like” the woman said.

Anne and Gemma again helped Harry stand and walk to the bathroom. The woman brought them a fresh towel and rag and showed them where everything was. The jacuzzi stood out against the clearly dated home but it was a welcome sight at this point. The woman even managed to find bathing suits that Anne and Gemma could wear in the jacuzzi followed shortly by the man bringing in the bag from the basement.

“We’ll have to lock the door obviously but if you need anything else, just yell” the woman said before turning and locking the door.

“Okay Harry, let’s get you cleaned up. Gem, while I help him with this will you go get that jacuzzi started so that it’ll be nice and warm by the time we’re done?” Anne said, getting everything in motion.

“Of course, I’ll be back in a second” Gemma said.

Anne started the water to the bath, turning it up as warm as she could without it being too warm to get in for Harry. She helped him remove his dirty clothes but it wasn’t until he removed his shirt that she gasped. She and Gemma both took in the unsightly state of his ribs, patches of bruising blossoming and fading at the same time. Harry gave them a sympathetic smile before whispering out, “It’s okay guys, looks worse than it is” but neither of them were entirely convinced as he slid into the tub in a painful mess. 

Slowly but surely, with a bit more assistance from his mum and sis than he would have liked, they finished bathing him. They had to stop a couple of times and support his body while he coughed horrendously but by the end Anne was proven right, it may not have been by much but his breathing was a bit easier from the steam.

They dried him off before slipping on the swim shorts the woman had included. The all three slid into the jacuzzi with Anne and Gemma on the sides helping Harry stay afloat and soaking up the steam.

Normally, Gemma thought to herself, she might have made a joke about this not being such a bad thing but one look at Harry wiped any thought of joking from her mind. She was worried, plain and simple. Not that Harry was at death’s door or anything but if they hadn’t been allowed to come would he still be lying unconscious in the basement? Growing worse and worse by the second…

She shook herself from her thoughts and tried to revel in the small victory in getting this far. She turned her thoughts back to Harry and Anne just as Harry began violently coughing and struggling to pull in a full breath from the effort. Anne jumped out of the jacuzzi as Gemma held him against her chest and returned with an inhaler in hand. She instructed him to breathe in deeply on three while she pushed down on the inhaler. It took a couple of tries but eventually he was able to catch his breath, slumping tiredly, back to chest, against Gemma. She wiped the now wet hair from his face before planting a kiss on his forehead and exchanging a worried glance with her mum. 

They had to start small but they were here. Alive. Helping Harry. It was more than they could have hoped for in the last two weeks.

After an hour of just sitting and resting, Harry in and out of consciousness, the woman came to check on them. They decided it was as good a time as any to get out, regretfully waking Harry. Anne and Gemma helped him out and sat him on the floor while they dried themselves and then Harry. They dressed before Anne pulled a fresh pair of clothes, a pair of black skinny jeans and a dark grey sweater, out for Harry and they both helped him get him dressed. He had regained a lot of his color since they had first entered but he was clearly drained of all energy. They cleaned up the bathroom and put everything back in its place before following the woman back downstairs. The man was about to retie them all but Anne stepped in.

“Please, you know we’re not going anywhere without him and the door would be impossible to open anyway. If you tie us up there’s no way we’ll be able to keep him healthy enough for all this to matter” Anne said, laying Harry gently down on the mattress in Gemma’s arms, pleading with the couple.

The couple looked at each other thoughtfully but agreed to leave them be for the time. They placed the bag next to them before going back up the stairs, this time leaving the light on. Anne decided to do a nebulizer treatment knowing it would make Harry sleepy enough to get rest. 

“Stay awake long enough for this and we’ll talk later, okay?” Anne said sternly, to which Harry reluctantly agreed, still curious about Louis and the others.

He finished and finally fell asleep in Anne’s arms, exhausted, where Anne and Gemma cuddled as close as they could to him, falling asleep not long after…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update, but the time away helped me realize how I might be able to make the story better. Hope you're enjoying it and if you ever have any prompts please feel free to send them in! Thanks for reading! :)


	9. Fault

“You know we can’t keep all three of them here Beatrice, right? They’re going to make a move on us eventually…” the man spoke to his wife.

“I know Richard but if we can just hold out a little bit longer and then we’ll have the ransom money. We can release them at once and be on our way out of here” Beatrice spoke but knew she was fighting a losing battle.

“No…NO. Only one of them was supposed to come here to help the boy and we never agreed to even let her stay that long. No, one of them has to leave within the week. This is getting too messy, fast. I won’t risk losing you honey, we’re so close to freedom. No, the young one, what’s her name? Hannah? Jenna?”

“Gemma? The sister?”

“Yeah, yeah that one. She has to go, as soon as possible.”

“Okay, okay. Just give it a few more days for the police to move on from the search areas and we’ll get her out of here.”

“Fine…but the longer we wait the worse this gets.”

“Oh Richard…have a little faith would you?” 

\-----  
Louis couldn’t believe it, not only was his best friend-that-hoped-to-make-his-boyfriend missing but now that boy’s mother AND sister. Anne’s phone was nowhere to be found nor could they trace a signal but the police were relentlessly searching for any clues. No one was pointing fingers thankfully but Louis couldn’t help but wonder how even Harry had managed to slip through their fingers without a trace, much less himself. 

His mom was a wreck naturally, her best friend now being gone. Jay only hoped that wherever she was she was with Harry and they were all healthy. Paul was a never-ending presence in Louis’ life since they had gone missing, constantly watching for any suspicious activities and keeping an eye on everyone. From what Louis had picked up on even Liam, Zayn, Niall, Sophia, Perrie, and Eleanor were being forced to stay in the house with a team of security. Everyone else had gone home to take care of this or that and promised they would stay indoors with periodic check-in times.

Louis was pissed though, here he was stuck in a damn hospital bed when they he could be out there helping them look. Why hadn’t he fought back?! Why couldn’t he have somehow warned Harry to run while he still could?! 

Who was he kidding though? Harry wouldn’t have left him any sooner than he would have left Harry. Whatever was happening, Louis felt that there was something personal in his own involvement. Sure, “cooperation” might have played a role in it but if they really wanted Harry so bad why didn’t they just call him and lie about having Louis? Harry would have no doubt dropped everything to meet their demands even if they didn’t have Louis. Why go through all of this with taking him and freaking POISONING him?

Harry had been missing a little over two weeks now, was it ever going to end?

\-----  
Anne and Gemma spent the next few days much the same as the first one. Every day around breakfast or lunch the couple would come retrieve them for a meal, allow them to shower if needed and provide treatments for Harry. He wasn’t getting any better, only a hospital could do that for him, but he wasn’t getting any worse. They spent most of their time in the basement, with Harry resting between the pair and they all sat and just talked. Fame hadn’t changed Harry but it certainly stole most of his time from them. They cherished this time, even if under miserable circumstances, to soak up each other’s presence. The couple only interrupted on the second day to discuss details of demanding the ransom from Robin and the man returning the bed frame for whatever reason. They couldn’t complain though, it was much more comfortable than lying on the ground.

It wasn’t until the fifth morning of their presence that things went awry…as usual, the man came down to retrieve for the meal that day and Anne decided she at least wanted answers before this was over.

“Thank you, again, for the meal” Anne said, treading cautiously.

“Oh no problem deary, I quite enjoy cooking for more than just the two of us…I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances…” the woman trailed off.

“I was actually wondering if we could talk about that. Why exactly are we here? I mean, why did you take Harry and Louis? Louis couldn’t seem to remember any detai-“

“Wait, wait, wait a minute…Louis? The Tomlinson boy? HE’S ALIVE?!” The woman frantically questioned.

“Well, yes, of course. He was found by the paramedics in a right state…but, why does that matter?” Anne suddenly got worried.

“He wasn’t supposed to make it out of this Richard!” the woman hysterically said.

“HONEY! Stop, we can’t afford any more slip ups…” the man spoke, suddenly aware that she had slipped his name.

“Oh, bother with that. Tell me, the boy is going to make it?!” the woman asked, getting a confused nod from Anne.

“Well, ain’t that a shame…” she trailed off distractedly, even Harry looked disturbed at the sudden turn in her demeanor. He knew about her grudge against Jay but did she really hope he would have died?

“Is that why Louis was involved…? You wanted him…dead?” Anne prodded.

“Well if that bitch of a mother of his hadn’t meddled in my business you lot wouldn’t even need to be here! I would be happy, and my husband and I wouldn’t be at the possibility of losing EVERYTHING!” the woman shouted. 

“You did that to an innocent BOY because of a grudge you hold against his mother?!” Anne infuriatedly said, “I don’t know what happened to cause this anger but that doesn’t give you the right to play GOD with people! Louis had nothing to do with you and even if he had nothing gives you the right to make an attempt on his life. Why didn’t you just talk to someone about this? Why did you drag my SON into this? You could have gone to a bank or loan agency and worked out SOMETHING, why would you risk two boys’ lives for this?!?!” Anne continued, losing all sense of control on her emotions.

“What would YOU have done? You and your family never have anything to worry about as long as that little boy is around. What do we have? A few pictures and then we’re thrown out on the streets? We. Have. NOTHING.” The woman shot back.

“You have EACH OTHER DAMMIT! It may not seem like a lot but it’s more than even people in similar situations can say. You have each other, you have love, and you decided to take that out on innocent people, on my SON, by taking away one of the most precious things in my life. I’m truly sorry that you are going through a difficult time but NOTHING will change the fact that you are taking from me something more precious than the bank could EVER take from you.” Anne left off, breathing heavily at the pure rage burning through her veins.

“ENOUGH!” The man suddenly shouted, bringing the conversation to a halt, “You will NOT disrespect me and my wife in our own home like this.”

“Richard, we’re done here. Take them back downstairs. NOW” she said, burning him with a look that conveyed her rage. 

The couple looked at each other, leaving the others a little uncomfortable at the silent conversation passing between them. They both stood and motioned for the three to go downstairs, their faces hardened into ferocious expressions. Anne helped Harry yet again but was surprised when they were pulled apart at the bottom of the stairs.

“Love, please help me with the ladies” the man, Richard, said before pushing Harry to the ground…hard.

“HEY! What are yo-ohh” Anne managed before she was grabbed by the man and Gemma by the woman where they were tied to the pole like their first night and gagged. They looked on in confusion before the woman gave her husband one last look and going up the stairs, shutting the door on her way out.

“I told you…I TOLD you what would happen if you stepped out of line. You wanted to help Harry here, you should have kept your mouth shut” Richard said dangerously quiet, piercing them with a stare before turning to Harry on the ground. Anne and Gemma tried to fight with all their might and yell against the gags but there was no use. Richard walked over to Harry, who was weakly attempting to back away, before he sent his first kick ferociously into Harry’s ribs. And then again. And again. And again. This seemed to go on for several minutes but it wasn’t the kicks that scared them. Or the screaming. It was when the silence took over the room except for the man’s hard kicks, occasionally met with a cracking sound. 

When he finished he was breathing hard and turned to look at Anne and Gemma, who just stared back with tear-stained cheeks. 

“Remember, this is YOUR fault” he said before bending down to roughly grab Harry and haul him up to the bed. Anne could tell from the minute his screams died off that the effort of keeping the pain at bay had exhausted him. Richard removed Harry’s shirt and jeans leaving just the boxers before he tied Harry’s arms and legs tightly to each corner of the metal bedframe and placing a strip of duct tape over his mouth, reminding Anne of how much difficulty with breathing he had before, much less now and with the beating he just took…

Anne wanted to plead with the man to at least take the tape off or let her give Harry a once over but one look silenced her before she even attempted a muffled cry. He left the light on though before going back upstairs and padlocking the door.

Anne and Gemma took in Harry’s beaten torso and wondered how much longer they could all hold out on this.

\-----  
Richard and Beatrice decided it was time to make the ransom call to Robin. One million dollars in exchange for Anne and Gemma. An additional four million in exchange for Harry, all on their terms and with no police interference. 

“Okay, honey, make the call” Richard said. It had been two days since the argument with the trio and they hadn’t even gone down to allow them to use the bathroom or feed them. Richard was sure the boy would have taken a turn for the worse by now. Not allowed to move around, eat, breathe deeply, and being stuck in that damp basement had to be taking its toll but it was their own fault. If the woman would have just kept her mouth shut…

“It’s ringing…” Beatrice said, patiently waiting, “Hello? Is this Robin? Robin Twist?”

“Yes, we have your wife, daughter, and son. If you wish to see them again safely, I recommend you keep quiet and listen to our demands. Understand?” she gave Richard a reassuring nod as she listened to Robin’s response on the other end, “Good. Now, first, absolutely no cops will be involved in this or there will be hell to pay. Got it? Very well. As you can figure out, we never intended on involving your wife and daughter, therefore, we will return them safely to you in two days’ time if you bring one million dollars.”

Richard could hear a harsh response from the other end before his wife spoke up again.

“No, NO NO NO. YOU don’t get to make any demands, you want the boy? You’ll either shut up and listen or we’ll be returning him in a body bag. How do you want to proceed? That’s what I thought, one million dollars in exchange for Anne and Gemma. In two days, at six in the evening, you will be outside the abandoned warehouse where your son often travels on foot. You will place the money in a duffel bag and leave it in front of the west entrance. We will leave the women in its place and you will wait five minutes before you go to them. Crystal clear? Very good. Have a good evening” Beatrice finished before hanging up. 

“He said okay” Beatrice relayed to her husband, “maybe we should check on them downstairs. The other day was a little overwhelming for all of us.” 

They unlocked the door and headed down to the basement. The light was still on and the two women looked absolutely exhausted. The boy was still unconscious it seemed and he was wheezing more than ever and struggling to breathe through just his nose.

“I’m…sorry, for my actions the other day. I know the boy must be in incredible pain though so I will release you to check him over and do whatever it is you three need to do to get comfortable again…my wife and I will be cooking a dinner which we will bring down to you. Would you like to use the restroom first?” Richard asked.

Anne nodded before the man walked over and untied her before stepping back to the stairs. She followed him up and took her turn before returning to the basement and untying Gemma. Gemma went up and returned a few minutes later where they both worked to untie Harry, loosening the bindings as gently as possible considering the rope marks leaving deep bruises and rubbing on him. As soon as they removed the duct tape from his mouth he subconsciously took a deep breath which was both a blessing and a curse. His first few breaths were strangled and harsh before they began to slightly even out. Anne knew it had to be at the point of pneumonia by now, the way his breathing was and the deep sounds coming from his coughs. 

After a few minutes Harry finally managed a miserable groan before opening his eyes, blinking in the unwelcome light…The last thing he remembered was pain. He shifted slightly, setting off a round of coughs that reminded him of the pain in his ribs and stomach. He remembered why he had blacked out at all. Richard, kicking him. As if it wasn’t bad enough before…

“Harry? Can you open your eyes a little more? I want to see those pearly greens…” Anne said, coaxing him into consciousness. 

Harry took a minute before searching for his mum’s face and finding her worried expression looming beside him in the bed. He could feel Gemma running a soothing hand up and down his arm, careful not to get too close to his wrists. 

“Mum…are you…is Gemma…are you guys okays?” Harry asked weakly. Typical Harry, Anne thought, always thinking of others when he was the one lying in the bed struggling to breathe and pale.

“Yeah, Haz. We’re safe baby, we’re fine. Just worried about you. Are you feeling okay?” Anne asked, knowing that he would lie but his facial expressions and the pain written in his eyes gave him away.

“M’fine.” Harry lied.

“Okay, if you say so…do you want to try to get up, maybe use the restroom?” Anne watched and waited until he slightly nodded. She paid attention to his struggles to sit up before she and Gemma pulled him up slowly, noting the gasp that escaped his lips and wondered just how badly his ribs were damaged. After the initial dizziness passed they both supported his weight up the stairs and to the bathroom before returning to the basement and laying him back on the bed. As promised, the man brought down meals for them. Anne and Gemma traded off helping Harry eat a little of his own food but none of them had much of an appetite.

They were relieved to find that the couple planned to leave them free in the basement so that they could tend to Harry. They decided to take the time to do another nebulizer treatment and keeping an inhaler in hand whenever the coughs became too much for him to handle. 

The next day went much the same and the next even but Anne knew the second the couple unlocked the door and came down the stairs, motioning to Anne and Gemma, that it was about to go downhill again…


	10. Holding

Vans…people…needles…rope…mum…poison…harry…

“Harry…HARRY, WHERE ARE YOU?! HARRYYY?!” 

Louis shot straight up in his bed only to be rewarded with tugging pains. Right, hospital. Wires. Needles. Wait…what room am I in? 

“Louis…are you okay, honey?” Jay’s voice suddenly asked. Louis turned his head to peak at his mum.

“Yeah, yeah, m’great.” 

“Louis…”

“Just a nightmare, okay? It’s fine. Umm, where are we?”

“Oh, oh. Well, they moved you to a private room in a different section of the hospital. Easier to guard and a private waiting room just next door. You’re not in ICU anymore!” Jay excitedly exclaimed, “Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Yeah, it’s great…I know you must be tired of me asking but anything on Harry? Or Anne and Gemma? Have the police even picked up any clues?”

“No, none of their phones are on so no leads there. Robin has been out around town but hasn’t heard anything. There is just NOTHING to go on right now…whoever took you and Harry initially were smart by following routes with no active cameras. I’m sorry sweetheart…”

“It’s okay, how are the lads? Lou, Tom, and Lux? Paul? You know…everyone?”

“Everyone is hanging in there. Obviously the tour is being postponed until further notice. Paul and the security team are keeping tabs on everyone. Lou and Tom decided to take Lux around the city for a few days, the lads and ladies are all at Liam’s, Des came by earlier while you were asleep but now is at the hotel in case Anne or Gemma show up. Lottie agreed to take everyone around the city with Lou. They’re not doing too much though considering all the buzz around Harry, Anne, and Gemma now. Everyone is making do…doctors say you can go home in a few days. They’re pleasantly surprised by your improvement within just two and half weeks.”

“That’s great mum…is it alright if I go back to the flat though? I mean, you’ll have to get back to Doncaster to work anyway and Lottie and everyone need to get back to school soon. Honestly, the boys won’t be going home anytime soon with tour being postponed and they can help me out. Liam isn’t too far away and they’ll be more than happy to stay, just, please don’t make me leave to go home."

“You’re a grown man Louis, you can decide for yourself but I hope you’ve thought this through…It won’t be too…difficult? Without Harry there?”

“I’ll get through it, I don’t know what it’ll be like until I get there but I’ve survived 2 ½ weeks without him right? We’ve had so many plans on how to spruce the flat up, maybe it’s time to get started on those. Get some people working on it…it’ll make him so happy when he comes home!” Louis said, caught up in his thoughts of how he would do anything to see Harry’s smile again, or Harry in general…he hadn’t even realized when the tears started flowing until his mom suddenly came over to the bed and wrapped him up in her arms.

“Oh mum…what if he doesn’t come home? Why have they kept him away for 2 ½ weeks?! I miss him mum…I miss him so much…” Louis trailed, suddenly sobbing.

“I know baby…just keep praying, we’ve got to believe it’s all going to be okay.”

“But we don’t know that, mum…we don’t.”

\-----  
“Aha! I win again!” Niall shouted, attempting to keep the mood light.

“Ughh, no fair! How do you keep doing that? How does he keep doing that?!” Eleanor asked, turning to Liam.

“Hell if I know…Luck of the Irish?” Liam said.

“Yeah, well, I’ll show him where he can put all that luck if he doesn’t shut up…” Zayn sulked.

Sophia and Perrie just looked on laughing.

“Jeez guys…when was the last time we ever just hung out like this? Over a year ago at least…” Sophia said. 

“I know. As soon as the stadium tour started and promotional obligations kicked in…I can’t believe we just threw everything to the side. I really missed this guys” Niall added in.

“You remember the first time we ever saw Niall? Always a guitar in hand and loads of people around. Zayn, off in some room adding to his drawing pad. Louis, always cracking jokes and pulling pranks. Me always trying to get singing tips and annoying people. And Harry…he…” Liam trailed off.

“He was always zipping around in his ridiculous beanies just trying to make people smile” Zayn supplied. 

“And he’ll do it again when he gets back, you know, just a lot taller, bulkier, and longer haired” Niall said.

“I certainly hope so, Niall. I certainly hope so…” Liam finished.

“Alright, who is up for another round?!” Sophia said, changing the subject.

\-----  
“Time to go? What do you mean it’s ‘time to go’? We’re not going anywhere!” Anne screamed. How dare they suggest that she and Gemma leave Harry? How dare they think she would leave him in this state? 

“Anne…I suggest you think about this, we don’t need a repeat of the last time you lost control of your emotions, now do we?” Richard said, gesturing to Harry’s torso from where he and Beatrice stood in the basement. 

“It isn't ME who needs to keep themselves in check..." she mumbled.

"Come on now, let's go" the woman said.

But…I can’t just, PLEASE I can’t just leave him…” Anne pleaded.

“That’s not up to you. We have worked out the details with your husband regarding your return and later Harry’s return. This is not on your terms, Mrs. Twist. Do no forget who is in control of your future right now…and Harry’s” Beatrice added.

“Okay, OKAY,” Anne said, holding up her hands in defeat, “just please, don’t hurt him anymore. He’s already sick, most likely pneumonia at this point. He needs a hospital…and SOON. Why don’t you just keep me and let Gemma and Harry go?” 

“No. AGAIN, Mrs. Twist, this is not on your terms. You and Gemma are worth a pretty penny to your husband and the world but Harry is our ticket out of here. You will be taken back, TONIGHT, to your husband in exchange for a decent amount of money. However, we’ll need the money to put the finishing details on our escape, meaning that Harry will be the final step in executing said plan. He stays here as a promise that we’ll have the time we need to get everything in order” Richard said.

“No more arguments, turn around, put your hands behind your back, and shut up” he added.

“Just, please, can we have a moment with Harry? Alone…” Gemma asked, she felt odd speaking considering how quiet she had stayed throughout the whole ordeal here.

“Yes, of course dear. We’ll give you five minutes and then we REALLY must be going,” Beatrice said, “let’s go up and prepare Richard.”

Anne and Gemma solemnly exchanged glances, worried about Harry’s well-being left in this place any longer. 

“Mum, can’t we do something…work ANYTHING out? He won’t last here…” Gemma said, looking over at Harry’s semi-conscious form on the bed. 

“I want to Gemma but I think we’ll only do more harm by arguing with these people…a few days, a few days is all we’d have to hold out. Now come on, we need to make the most of our time with Harry before we go. Harry? Are you awake?” Anne asked, watching closely as he fluttered his eyes open. 

“Yeah…yeah, mum” Harry spoke, barely above a whisper. The beating Richard had put on him had left his already-too-low energy level depleted. 

“Hazza, we have to leave. We don’t want to but the couple has promised us they won’t harm you and we’ll be seeing you REAL soon” Gemma said, stroking his curls.

“But…please, please don’t leave me…I’m scared…” He said, suddenly allowing a few tears to escape.

“Oh Harry, I have no right to asking anything of you after these past three weeks but I need you to something for me, okay? Are you listening? Harry, Louis made it out of this alive against all the odds. And you know what he had to tell me? All he’s been worried about is you. Only ever asked if we had heard anything or seen anything. And Harry, he might hate me for ruining this but do you know what Louis told me? Harry?” Anne said, trying to keep him awake long enough to convey this to him. Slowly he nodded, reconnecting his eyes with hers.

“He loves you, Harry. Not just as a “bro-pal-friend” as the fans like to say, but as in he’s IN love with you. He planned to tell you the night of your birthday but Harry, he’s waiting for you. He needs you as much as you need him. You remember what I said when you came to me after you thought he had rejected you? He just needed time to see it for himself and everything happened as it was supposed to. Harry, his heart is open for you but he needs you to come home so please, fight with whatever final strength you have left in you. We love you baby, so much, and we’ll stop at nothing to bring you home” Anne finished, allowing her own tears to rush down.

“I love you mum, just take care of Gemma, Robin, and Des. No matter what happens, it’s going to be okay. I’m so sorry…you guys don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve to be put in this position because of me. I’m so sorry…” Harry finished, cut off by a coughing fit.

“There is absolutely NOTHING to apologize for Harry, just- okay, wait, hang on little brother…,” Gemma said, grabbing one of his inhalers and pumping it a few times until he had calmed down again, “Harry YOU don’t deserve any of this. No matter who you are no one should feel the right to take advantage of you but none of that matters. You don’t owe us or the world anything, the only thing you need to concentrate is staying alive. For us, for the lads, for the fans, for LOUIS. Because mum is right Harry, he needs you. He might make it out of this physically but needs his Hazza back. So stop worrying and focus on coming home. I love you little brother. Is there anything you want me to tell Louis?” Gemma finished.

At this point the couple came back down the stairs expectantly and motioned that they need to go. Anne had pulled Harry into her arms halfway through Gemma’s speech and simply held him against her chest, rocking him back and forth. He had no strength to return the embrace but they knew how exhausted he was so she didn’t expect much. 

They both planted kisses over his too warm forehead and cheeks before wiping away the tears, laying him back on mattress, and going over to the couple. They tied their hands behind their backs and were about to head up the stairs when Harry spoke up.

“Gemma?”

“Yeah Hazza?”

“Tell him I’ll being see him soon” Harry said weakly. 

“Okay, we don’t have time for this! Let’s GO. Beatrice, just hold on a minute…shit” The man said, noting his own slip-up. The man walked quickly back over to Harry, grabbing his wrists and tying them back into place roughly before putting a strip of duct tape over again.

Harry didn’t even have it in him to fight.

“JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, PLEASE!” Anne and Gemma screamed at the man, knowing the pain Harry was already in and the man wasn’t taking it easy on him… 

“SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP” Richard screamed back. He picked up the bag they had brought and slung it over his shoulder before making sure Harry was tight in place. He regretted his actions the minute he looked over the boy. He could barely breathe, much less with the tape. His wrists and ankles were marred with bruises and rope burns and deep bruising was peeking out from where his t-shirt revealed the damaged ribs. 

“Let’s just, we need to go, now” the man said quietly, allowing his wife to go first. Anne and Gemma walked up the stairs but it wasn’t until the man turned around and took one last look at the boy that he could feel the weight of his actions. The boy had scrunched his eyes up and was sobbing against his own will. He turned his head away from the man and tried to hide the pain it was causing his ribs. 

“I’m sorry…” Richard said, turning the lights off and heading up the stairs.

“I’ll see you soon Louis…” Harry thought to himself before finally blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate myself...please don't hate me! I love Harry, haha. There are probably a lot of inaccuracies in this but I hope you're still enjoying it so far. I'm trying to work on it so that I don't take forever but so that everything isn't too rushed. Any feedback is welcome! So please feel free to comment or give any suggestions for future works I might do, depending on this one. Thanks for reading and remember, you are all beautiful!


	11. Return

“You know, you could have at least left the inhalers there. You’re going to need them to keep him healthy if you don’t want him just be a deadweight” Anne said, they had been in the van at least an hour, a somber trip for the group after their emotional departure. 

“Keep talking and I might just show you the literal meaning of ‘deadweight’” Richard grumbled.

“Please…he is just a boy. He didn’t ask for all of this…”

“Didn’t ASK for all of this? What? AND ME AND MY WIFE DID?! Why should people like your son get a damn royal treatment for singing a few tunes while the hardworking people like us get shifted to the bottom of the feeding order” Richard asked.

“Singing a few tunes? SINGING A FEW TUNES?! Are you serious? Those boys are flown city to city, country to country for eight months out of the year, they spend another month and a half promoting an album leaving very little time for anything else. Friends? They might see once every few months. Family? They get to see around holidays. Privacy? Forget it. They’re under constant pressure and stress to be role models for their fans and still be able to be true to who they are. They-“

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to be their spokesperson. Either way, those little shits get paid millions of dollars to prance around in front of millions of girls while the rest of us become the dirt on their shoes” Richard says.

“In four years those boys have done for the world and their fans more than what most of us can hope for in a lifetime. If dollar signs are really the only thing you can get from that, you are the greedy soul I pity. Not those boys’” Anne finishes in disgust.

“Whatever…just shut up before I gag you again” Richard says.

Anne huffs as she sits back against the van, allowing Gemma to curl up at her side. Another hour and they would be back in London, where an anxious Robin would be surely awaiting.

They drove in silence for the rest of the ride just hoping Harry had it in him to keep going.

\-----

Jay sat looking over her sleeping son, much of his color and charming energy was slowly returning. Three weeks spent in agony for him for sure but it wasn’t the physical torture that Jay worried about, it was the psychological agony that she knew was taking its toll. 

Harry was now missing for exactly three weeks as well as Anne and Gemma for one of those weeks. Jay had no doubt in her mind that Anne knew something about Harry’s whereabouts but now it was just up to hope and prayer that they found themselves all back in safety.

Jay was startled as the door opened but turned to find Robin sheepishly entering.

“Mornin’ Jay” Robin stated.

“Good morning dear, how are you?” She asked quietly, taking in his pale complexion.

“Good as can be I suppose…how is Louis?”

“Good as can be I suppose…” she recounted, trying to bring a smile to the man.

“You know, I love Harry and I’ll always support him, but after this I’m not sure I can ever let him out of my sight again.”

“Ha, I know exactly what you mean. What about Anne and Gemma? Any word?” Jay asked.

“I-uh, no. No news” Robin says distractedly, slightly pulling at the collar of his shirt.

“Robin…are you lying? Is there something you’re keeping from us?” Jay asks, narrowing her eyes as he suddenly avoids her gaze.

“Jay…I just…please…” Robin says.

“Robin, if Harry is in danger don’t you want to give him his best chance? You said yourself the other day that some of his allergy supplies were missing, why would Anne have taken those if there wasn’t something happening? Please, we’ve got enough people on the line, don’t do anything stupid” Jay says.

“Of course I want to give him his ‘best chance’, I want to give all of them their best chance but Jay…they said if cops got involved that they would harm one of them. I can’t risk it…”

“Robin, at this point you can’t afford not to risk it. Tell me what’s going on? Who is ‘they’?”

“A couple called a few days ago claiming they had Harry, Anne, and Gemma. They said they would return them all if I agreed to their demands and didn’t get cops involved. They wanted a million for Anne and Gemma, an additional four million for Harry…” Robin confesses.

“Oh Robin…and you agreed? Did they say when they would be coming?” 

Robin gives her an uneasy look but otherwise stays silent.

“Robin, you can’t do this alone.”

“I have so far haven’t I? Since for whatever reason my wife deluded herself into believing that she could take this on…,” Robin says angrily before softening, “I’m sorry, I’m just worried.”

“They need you to be strong right now, okay? We all have to be…now just, PLEASE, tell me what else you know?”

“They’re supposed to be bringing Anne and Gemma tonight, Harry in a few more days…” Robin says, cutting off at Jay’s gasp.

“Tonight…? And then a few more days? What are these people playing at? Robin, I’m just trying to think of all the possibilities, but how can you be sure they won’t just kill Harry the minute they have the money?”

“I don’t think they’re interested in anything but the money Jay, they didn’t sound like killers. They just wanted money and time, to ‘get things in order for their escape’” Robin says.

“Robin…you have to tell the police. This is their job, just let them do it” Jay urges.

“I can’t…I can’t put their lives in danger like that.”

“Robin, I want you to take one look at my son and tell me that they won’t do the unthinkable at a moment’s notice. Maybe they’re not killers but they’re desperate, and that can be just as vial a trigger as a gun” Jay says, making sure to hold eye contact with her friend.

“You’re right…I know, okay. What do I need to do? I just want my family back Jay, all of them.” 

“You need to go back and get Des, explain all of this to him. Then both of you need to go immediately down to the police station and tell them EVERYTHING you know.”

“Okay Jay, thank you. Is there anything you need? Or Louis?”

“No, we’re okay. The lads were by earlier but Louis has been pretty tired today so he’s been asleep for the most part” Jay says.

“Is he okay though” Robin asks concerned.

“Oh, yes. He’s just…I think he’s blaming himself for Harry’s kidnapping. He’s been quieter than usual, did Anne tell you about the boys?” Jay asks, referring to Harry and Louis.

“No, why?”

“Eleanor broke up with Louis because…” Jay shoots him a look first, not sure how he’ll take it.

“Because of what?” 

“Louis is in love with Harry, it would seem and Eleanor knew it. She wasn’t even mad Robin. But she let Louis have an out that didn’t make him out to be the bad guy. Louis’ been worried sick but I think now that he’s accepted how he feels he’s afraid he won’t have the chance to tell Harry that…” Jay trails off.

“Wow…” Robin says, looking at Louis.

“Is…is that okay?”

“Is that okay? Jay! Don’t be silly, they’ve been inseparable since day one. I’m honestly surprised it didn’t happen sooner” Robin says excitedly.

“Me too…okay, Robin. I’d love to talk more but you should get going. If they’re getting here tonight it doesn’t leave you much time to talk to Des and the police to get a plan in place, you should get going.”

“I think I know now why Anne decided to go and not tell anyone. Like you said earlier, Anne wanted to give Harry his best chance at survival. If she knew that about them, maybe she wanted to give Harry his best chance by giving him something I’m sure he hasn’t had a lot of in the past three weeks.”

“And what’s that?”

“Hope.”

\-----

“Mom?” Louis says, waking a few minutes after Robin’s departure.

“Yes darling?” Jay asks, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

“Was that Robin? I thought I heard his voice…” Louis says tiredly.

“Yeah, yeah that was him. He came by to check on you and before you ask, no, we haven’t heard anything yet…” Jay lies, not wanting Louis to stress himself or get his hopes up.

“Ms. Tomlinson?” A doctor suddenly says, knocking on the door.

“Come in!” She replies.

“Hello there! I just wanted to check in. Everything alright? Any pain or sickness today Louis?”, the doctor asks waiting for Louis’ negative response, ”that’s good. Look, I’m a little nervous about letting you go home but I don’t think there’s much more we can do for you here that you can’t do at home. The poison has worked its way out of your system and all you need now is rest for a few days and then you can start thinking about walking around. How does that sound?”

“That sounds nice, actually. When can I leave?” Louis asks.

“Tomorrow morning. We’re working on the release papers for you to sign upon your departure and instructions on signs or symptoms to look for if there are any complications, which we don’t anticipate. You need to stay in bed for at least two or three days and then you can start walking. I have to warn you though, lying in this bed is going to have weakened your muscles so it might take a little while to be completely on your own.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure I’ll have the lads and my mom when she can help. Thank your everything sir…” 

“Of course, I’ll leave you while we get everything ready.”

“What do you know, baby? You’re going home!” Jay says happily, she was just as tired of seeing him in this place as he was of being here.

“I’m going to the flat but…”

“…but what?”

“It’s not home, not without Harry.”

\-----

“Robin, I don’t understand, why didn’t you come to us sooner?!” The sheriff asks.

Robin had explained the situation to them with as much of the little details he had to offer. They were down to only two hours until the drop off was supposed to happen on the edge of the city.

“We don’t have a lot of time to call in reinforcements so we have to keep this simple. Robin, we’re going to let the drop happen. We can’t risk following them in case they lead us on a goose chase. We’ll put a tracking device in the bag and hopefully they’ll lead us right to Harry.”

“Why not just arrest them on the spot?”

“Robin, if we show ourselves and arrest them, there’s a chance they’ll never tell us where Harry is. We can assume he’s at their home but there are no guarantees.”

“Fine, fine…you know what you’re doing.”

“We’re going to get them back, ALL of them. Okay? I’m just glad you came to us.”

“Of course…I need to go back to the hotel to grab the money and make a pit stop.”

“Pit stop? What kind of pit stop…?” The cop asks suspiciously.

“Oh, sorry. I never meant to sound cryptic. I was just going to stop by and see how the boys were doing.” 

“Very well. Just make sure you’re in place, like we’ve discussed, by 5:30pm.”

\-----

“NIALL! Get your lazy arse down here, dinner’s ready!” Liam screams.

“Okay, okay. Sheesh, for that much commotion you better be serving up some serious delicacies” Niall grumbles.

“Since when have you ever complained about food?” 

“Since when have you ever cooked for me?”

“I’ll have you know that I am quite the cook and tonight we’ll be having a special meal of my gourmet…tacos” Liam says, ending embarrassed.

“Tacos? Seriously? Didn’t we just have that two nights ago?” Niall groans.

“You know what, you can shut up and eat or start cooking for yourself. Jesus, Niall, what is your deal?”

“Oh, sorry, didn’t know I was supposed to throw a fucking parade in your honor, your Highness” Niall says with a sneer.

“You know what-“

“Hey! HEY!” Zayn finally cuts in, jumping between the two who were about to scuffle.

“ENOUGH! This isn’t helping anything. What the hell is wrong with you two? I thought we were past all this bullshit over the last few weeks?” 

“I’m sorry. But if Niall complains one more time about my cooking…” Liam sees.

“Well, maybe if your cooking didn’t SUCK…” Niall recounts.

*Ding-dong* “Jesus…I’ll get it. You two just, try not to kill each other for two seconds?” Zayn says, looking at each of the heaving boys.

“Robin? Hey…what are you doing here? Is there any news yet? Is Louis okay?” Zayn asks, worried about his sudden appearance.

“Yeah, yeah of course. Just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. Though by the looks of it…”

Perrie, Eleanor, and Sophia sat around the table in silence looking at Niall and Liam who stared dangerously at each other.

“What’s going on boys?” Robin asks.

“His honor here seems to think I complain too much and wanted to pick a fight..” Niall says.

“Well maybe if you’d be a little more grateful and stop being such an arsehole all the time I wouldn’t have to be upset!” Liam shouts.

“Damn it Liam! I’m not ungrateful for all you’ve done but…”

“…but I’m not Harry, right?” Liam finishes, finally realizing the real problem.

“I’m so sorry Liam…it’s just, Harry always cooked for us when we were together, and we haven’t been together in so long like that, and it’s been three weeks…” Niall stubbornly spouts out.

“Niall, Niall please listen to me,” Robin says, “we miss Harry. We all miss Harry but he wouldn’t want us all to lose it. Harry needs us to stay strong. Louis and Jay need us to stay strong. Anne and Gemma need us to stay strong…” he trails off distractedly.

“Robin?” Liam asks.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. We have to stay calm and keep it together. Can you do that for me? Just a little bit longer?”

“Of course Robin, I’m so sorry guys. I know we’re all frustrated, it’s just getting to me. I didn’t mean to take it out on you guys…” Niall says.

“It’s okay, Niall, I’m sorry for snapping at you too. Are we good?” Liam asks.

“Yeah, mate. We’re good.” 

“Okay boys, I’m trusting you to keep calm, for everyone. I have to get going but Jay called me on the way over here and let me know that Louis is being released tomorrow. If you boys and girls have keys to the flat I was thinking it might be nice to go over there and clean it up a little? Louis won’t be able to go up and down the stairs right away so he’ll need a place to sleep on the ground floor” Robin says.

“That’s a great idea Robin, thanks for letting us know. Good to finally have him home! Are they sure he’s ready though?” Liam asks.

“They were iffy at first but decided it might be better for him to get back on his feet, get into a normal routine and see if that’ll put him back in better spirits. He can’t be alone though so maybe you can get away from all this (gesturing to the still decorated house) and focus on something else. Louis’ going to need A LOT of support, especially without Harry…” Robin says, misty eyed.

“Okay, we’ll do it. Just, be careful out there okay?” Liam says.

“Of course, and same to you. Make sure the security team goes with you too” Robin says pointedly.

“Got it, thanks Robin! Let us know if you hear anything…”

“You’ve got it guys, take it easy ladies and don’t let them kill each other?” Robin says, easing the tension.

Choruses of “bye!” ring out as Robin exits, finally headed to get 2/3 of his heart back.

\-----

“Okay Robin, just like we said. Have you placed the bag where it needs to be?” the sheriff says, re-checking his wire and that it’s out of sight.

“We’ll be able to hear you and you’ll be able to hear us. If the man comes to you and turns on you, you know the word to use and we’ll be out there in no time. Okay?”

“Yep, good. Just want this over with…”

“Okay, we’re going to get in position and remember, he’ll most likely just drive off but just in case.”

“I got it, go.” Robin says shortly.

Twenty minutes later and it was show time. Cops waited in hidden vehicles and broken windows of the shutdown warehouse. It was another five minutes before Robin noticed a vehicle coming slowly down the road.

“I think they’re here” Robin says, noting the fact that the van was slowing down and had no lights on.

“Got it, just stay put.”

The van turned off towards the opposite entrance where the money was placed. The police watched as a small, but hooded figure jumped out and grabbed the bag. The figure double-checked the money count before getting back in and driving to Robin’s side of the warehouse.

“They’re coming your way, don’t move no matter what” the voice says in his earbud.

The van comes to a stop and both figures jump out. One heads to the back of the van before the other surprises him by walking his way. 

“Hey! You! Are you Robin?” a man’s voice asks.

“Yes, I am. You the people who took my family?” Robin says angrily.

“Robin, calm down…” the sheriff warns.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Keep talking and I may be the one that kills them,” the man’s voice says, “I trust that all of the money is there?”

“It is.”

“Good, your wife and daughter will be released in a moment. You will not move until we are out of sight. Understood?”

“Got it. And Harry? Is he okay?” Robin asks.

“The boy is fine…for now. We’ll talk again soon.” He says, leaving a bag at Robin’s feet before heading back to the van.

Both figures jump in and peel off. Robin finally spots two people standing not too far away but agrees to wait until the van is out of sight. As soon as it’s gone…

“Anne? Gemma?!” Robin yells, getting the people’s attention.

“ROBIN!” He hears their familiar voices scream before they’re all running to each other. They all fall to the ground just crying and holding each other.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?!” He asks, running his hands over their faces and taking in their appearances.

“No, no we’re fine,” Anne says, “Robin, Harry’s in really bad shape…”

“Shhh, it’ll be okay. We can talk about this when we get somewhere safer, come on.” He says just as the police finally come out.

“Are you ladies okay? Do you need any medical attention?” a sheriff asks.

“No, we’re fine. Just ready to go home.” Anne says, holding onto Gemma.

“Of course, we’ll take you all back to the hospital to at least be checked out. And we need to discuss if you know anything…”

“Of course, let’s just go.” Anne says.

They all piled into one of the undercover SUV’s before heading back to the hospital.

“I love you girls…” Robin says, holding onto both of them.

“We love you too.”

\-----

“Jay?” a familiar woman’s voice asks but Jay couldn’t believe it, whipping around as fast as possible.

“Anne?!” she screams, getting up to run to her.

“Hey bestie, how’s our boy doing? How are you?” Anne asks, laughing at her friend’s response.

“I’m…you’re…you’re here! Where in the world have you been? What were you THINKING just leaving like that?!” Jay asks excitedly.

“Mom…what’s going on?” Louis’ voice suddenly breaks through all the excitement.

“Oh, Louis, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you. Look who is here baby!” Jay exclaims.

“Anne…? Oh my God!” Louis says, hitting the button on his bed so that he can sit up better.

“Hi there Lou, alright?” Anne asks, walking over to kiss his forehead and hug him.

“Yeah, fine. Anne…where have you been?” Louis asks, mimicking his mother’s question.

“Okay, okay…I got a call from the couple, at first demanding money but then telling me that Harry…” she trails off, realizing that she probably shouldn’t upset Louis.

“Anne, please? I know everyone is tiptoeing around me but I can promise you I’ll drive myself just as crazy not knowing as I will knowing.

“Jay?” Anne asks for reassurance.

“It’s fine. He’s a grown man, he can handle it” Jay says, wondering if it might actually set his recovery back but curious herself.

“Harry isn’t in too great of shape, to be honest. Harry wasn’t supposed to be harmed but the room they’re keeping him in has a damp feeling, setting off his allergies.”

“Oh no…” Louis says, knowing how much trouble they typically cause him.

“Yeah. So he kept getting sicker and sicker and they called back worried that he wasn’t doing well. I informed them that he needed his inhaler and nebulizer and they agreed to let me assist him.”

“Oh Anne…”

“I know. So I went, and naturally Gemma figured out something was up and followed me. When we got there, he was just so weak. We got him cleaned up though and helped the illness at least slow down but the last time we were there he lost his temper…”

“What happened?” Louis asked, nervously afraid of the answer.

“There were already signs of abuse when we got there. Harry’s ribs were littered with bruises but they kept him fed enough to keep him going but he is malnourished, dehydrated, and severely ill. I recognize enough of the symptoms to believe he’s got pneumonia. The last night we were there though, the man lost his temper and kicked Harry mercilessly…” Anne said, tears spilling over at the memory.

“But why…?” Louis asks.

“I lost control of my emotions…he warned us from the very beginning that if we stepped out of line he would take it out on Harry and I didn’t listen…” Anne said, turning hysterical.

“Shh, hey, whatever happened isn’t your fault. These people clearly aren’t in their right minds at the moment. Emotions or not, it doesn’t give them the right to take it out on Harry…” Jay said, worried about what they’ve been going through.

“Did they say why they did all of this?” Louis asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“They did but it’s not important now, all that matters is getting Harry home.” Anne says

“But An-“

“NO. Louis, love, you know I wouldn’t do something without reason so I’m asking you now, just please let it go. Gemma and I have just watched Harry be beaten, starved, and tied up…” Anne says, stopping at Louis’ horrified gasp.

“I’m sorry, just, please. Things are hard enough. To be honest, if he doesn’t come home soon I don’t know how much longer he’ll last…” Anne says, surprised at her own bluntness.

“Anne…please, he has to be okay” Louis says, suddenly crying himself.

“Just keep praying, Harry needs us.” Anne says.

“Where is Gemma? And Robin?” Jay asks, noticing their absence.

“Oh, well, we didn’t want to overwhelm everyone so Gemma and Robin went to talk to the boys and ladies before coming back here to pick me up. I’m sure they’re on their way back and making the phone calls to everyone else. We’ll just be heading back to the hotel to see Des and to try to get some sleep and wait for the couple to call back I suppose.”

“Did they say how long?” Louis asked quietly, still taking in Harry’s bad condition and not being able to be there to comfort him.

“A couple of days but Louis, as I hear it, you’ll be going home tomorrow so just please, let us handle it and don’t make it harder on yourself.” Anne says, worried he would try something.

“No, of course. Not like I could really go anywhere even if I wanted to” Louis says, gesturing to himself.

“Okay, I’ll be sure to let you know what’s going on, okay?” Anne says, standing to indicate her departure.

“Thanks, take care of yourself Anne.” Jay finishes. 

They all hug before she leaves. Anne felt bad for leaving out the part that they were tracking the couple, that they would be bringing Harry home soon enough. Louis needed to focus on getting himself better because as much as she was worried about her own family if this went south, she knew Louis would take it equally as hard. 

It was going to be a long couple of days…


	12. Blurry

“Hey, everything ready up there? They’re here!” Liam exclaims, looking out the window to see Jay’s car pull up.

“Yep! All good to go!” Niall replies, bounding down the stairs, “Louis!”

“Hey mate, what are you doing here?” Louis asks, waiting for his mom to bring the wheelchair around to him.

“We’re all here, had to put your toys away so you wouldn’t hurt yourself” Niall says, jokingly giving him a wink.

“Nice lad…what do you mean we’re ALL here?” Louis asks.

“They came over last night, Louis,” Jay replies, “Robin suggested they get the place ready since you can’t go up the stairs for another couple of days”. 

“But mom…”

“No buts Lewis, you will sleep on that couch or I will strap you down myself-“ Jay says, stopping when she notes the wince on his face at the last part, “oh…Louis…I didn’t mean-“

“It’s okay mom, I’m fine. See you later, yeah?” Louis says.

“Okay, dear. Just try to rest. I promise to come back as soon as possible.”

“Love you.” “You too, baby.”

Niall rolls the wheelchair through the front door to meet up with the rest of the group.

“Louehh!” “LOUIS!” “Lewis!” “Welcome home” All ring in Louis’ ears as he walks in to see his very own welcoming party.

Liam, Zayn, Eleanor, Perrie, and Sophia all stood in his kitchen with delighted but unsure faces. Flowers, balloons, and various gifts that hadn’t been able to be taken into the hospital were now brightening the rooms in his flat. His and Harry’s flat…

He took a look around the room again, at his friends, at the belongings, but it wasn’t until his eyes landed on a picture that he finally lost it.

A simple, but beautiful, picture. He and Harry holding tightly onto each other. How had he missed so many signs back then? How had he ignored them for so long? How had he taken his friendship for granted these last few months…? 

“Louis…?” Eleanor asked, following his gaze, “you want to talk about it?”

Louis looked back at her despairingly.

“No, I’m just tired, think I’ll go to sleep…”

“Okay,” she said, pushing him over to where the couch used to be now replaced with a full sized futon, “just let us know if you need anything okay?”

She helped him stand up and then lay down, pillows and blankets already waiting. 

Just as he thought he was alone, Eleanor reappeared with his pills and a glass of water. He thanked her before she set one more thing down on the table, giving him a small smile and turning away to join the rest of them. The picture, the picture of Harry that would burn itself into Louis’ dreams for the rest of the night.

As many questions that swirled around his mind, the one that mattered most was would he ever get the chance the make it right again?

\-----

“Anne? Are you awake?” Robin asked quietly, not wanting to wake Gemma sleeping in the other bed.

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep much.” Anne answers.

“Do you need anything? You really should try to get some more sleep…”

“No, I’m okay. You’re right, just go back to sleep, yeah?” 

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too.”

Anne had no intentions of going back to sleep. How could she? Her baby is missing, and hurt, and sick. They hadn’t been back but almost 17 hours. There were too many hours left to wait. The police were still tracking but waiting to see if the couple made any moves before they took action. Waiting. Always waiting.

\-----

“Beatrice, I told you to pack light!” Richard said, looking at all of the bags.

“Richard, you can’t just leave a whole lifetime behind you. There are too many precious items that have to go.”

“Honey, we’re going to start fresh though. A brand new life, somewhere on the ocean where we’ll never have to work and we can create all new memories.”

“Fine, I’ll weed out what I can but the pictures come.”

“That’s fine, just, take them out of the frames? Too many breakable items, I’ll go get an envelope.”

“Thank you dear. What about the boy? What are we doing with him?”

“We’ll call for the other half of the money, drop him off, and get the hell out of here like we planned.”

“The police will probably know about that spot by now, we were lucky to get away with dropping off those girls.”

“I know, but these people value his life, they won’t risk doing anything brash or I’ll make good on my threat.”

“We’re not KILLERS, Richard. You’ll do no such thing…” Beatrice says, stalking off down the hallway.

“That’s what you think” Richard thinks to himself.

\-----

“Mr. Twist? This is the sheriff. I just wanted to let you know that we’ve tracked the location, a small farmhouse about 2 hours out of the city, life your wife said. We’re planning to make our move tomorrow evening providing no changes in location between now and then.”

“Oh wow..well, is there anything we can do to help? I’m meeting with the local P.D. to go to the bank to assemble the rest of the ransom.”

“No, no. Just stay low and if they call to make any plans just let us know.”

“Okay, thank you sheriff.”

“Bye Mr. Twist”

Did he really just have that conversation?

He didn’t have a whole lot of time to think about that as his phone started ringing again. 

“Hello?”

“Hello Mr. Twist, so nice to hear your voice again. How are our girls doing?” the man’s voice asked. Richard? Either way, it sent shivers up his spine at the cold malice coming through the receiver. He slowly got out of the bed and walked out to the balcony of the hotel, sliding the door closed behind him.

“My girls are doing fine. How is my boy?” Robin asks tersely.

“He’s breathing,” the man chuckles darkly, “is the rest of the ransom money ready?”

“It will be this afternoon.”

“Good. Same rules as before, Mr. Twist. No cops, no surprises. Bring the rest of the money in two days’ time and we will deliver the boy.”

“Can’t we push this-“

“NO Mr. Twist, this will be done on my terms, not yours. Two days, no cops, see you then Mr. Twist.”

“See you then” Robin sighed, hanging up. Just hold on Harry…

\-----

Need to move…need to breathe…why can’t I just breathe? Louis…I just want Louis…

Harry’s mind was plagued over and over again with thoughts. He tried to hold on to the hope that his mother and sister had brought…well…until it was beat out of him.

Literally.

He had been in and out of consciousness since they were gone, he had no idea how long he had been trapped in this place now.

He was hungry, ill, weak, dehydrated. And to make it worse they hadn’t even come down to take the gag off or feed him. They had just left him, were they even at the house anymore?

Or was he all alone?

His question was answered a few minutes later when he faintly heard footsteps padding down the stairs and the light switch on. He didn’t even have the energy to turn his head to see who it was.

Richard’s face loomed over him seconds later nonetheless, carefully peeling off the tape and undoing the ropes tying him to the bed.

“Good evening young Harry, how are we?”

Harry just let a tear slip down his face at the pure agony his body was feeling. 

“Now, now, you’ll be going home soon. Shouldn’t you be a little happier after all we’ve done for?”

“Ff…uuu…” Harry attempted.

“I’m sorry, what was that? You’re going to have to speak up.”

“Fuck…you.” Harry said, spitting at the man.

The man wiped his face in disgust before turning his rage on Harry and landing a hard slap to his face and punch to his cracked ribs.

“Try that again and you’ll be dead” he said hastily until Harry noticed what he was pulling out of his pocket.

“What…what are you…doing?” Harry asked, glancing nervously to the vial and syringe in the man’s hand.

“Just a little something to help you sleep is all” the man said darkly.

“No….no…n..ooo…” Harry said, feeling it take effect instantly and everything becoming a blur before going dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on these, I know the last chapter was a bit dull so I hope this one ties you over while I'm working (currently) on the finale parts! Thanks for reading! :)


	13. Darkness

“Jay, dear, what are you doing here?” Anne says happily, opening the door to the hotel room.

“Just dropped Louis off at the flat and thought I would come by and see how you guys are doing” Jay answers, “unfortunately I have to head back to Doncaster to get the kids going in school again and get back to work. It was nice being back here though, just wish it were under better circumstances.”

“As do I Jay, would you care to have lunch with us? Robin took a call a little while ago, I’m assuming with the sheriff so I was just getting up and getting ready. Gemma’s still out cold” Anne smiles fondly over at her.

“I would but once I pick up everyone it’s going to be a madhouse getting home. I probably shouldn’t stay too long.”

“Okay then. How was Louis?”

“Quiet, exhausted, refusing to really talk much. He just wants Harry home.”

“Don’t we al-“

“Anne! You’re up! Loo- Oh, hello Jay!” Robin says, cutting off at the sight of Jay.

“Morning love! What were you saying?” Anne asks curiously, noticing Robin’s flustered appearance.

“Oh, um, it can wait. Nice to see you Jay!” Robin says.

“Robin…what’s going on? Come on, Jay already knows everything, I need to know if something is going on” Anne pressures him.

“Oh alright…I spoke to the sheriff earlier and he said that they had a plan to surround the house tomorrow evening. Not too long after the man called saying to have the rest of the ransom money ready in 48 hours and they would deliver Harry. I called the sheriff back and he says they’re going to move up their plan to tomorrow midday. 

“And Harry?” Gemma suddenly piped out.

“They promised to let us know as soon as they could.”

“Oh Robin…” Anne huffed out.

“I know, love, I know…this’ll all be over soon” Robin said, pulling her into his arms.

\-----

“Beatrice! Get over here, NOW!” Richard yelled out, enraged.

“What? What is it dear?” She ran in to the living room.

“Apparently they don’t value their boy’s life as much as we thought…” he said, holding up a tiny blinking object in his hand.

“What is that?” Beatrice asked.

“A fucking tracker, found it in the duffle bag…how could I be so stupid?” Richard says, slamming his hand down on the coffee table.

“Oh my…what do we do now? They’ve undoubtedly figured out where we are and why we‘re doing this. Richard, what do we do?!” Beatrice hysterically asked.

“We move, now. We’ve got to get the boy out of here today and get the rest of the money tomorrow.”

“Today…? What will we do with him?” Beatrice asks.

“You leave that up to me…” Richard says, heading down to the still drugged boy.

\-----

“It was so good to see you Anne, Robin” Jay says, hugging them and heading towards the door. Gemma had already fallen back to sleep where neither Anne nor Robin had the heart to wake her. 

“Bye dear, be safe going home and tell the kids we’ll see them soon…” Anne says, closing the door.

“Okay Anne, how about we order a little takeout and then I’ve got to head over to the bank…” Robin says.

“Sounds good, Chinese?” 

“Fine by me, you know what we all like. Thanks love!”

Anne called it in and waited until they came, paying the delivery man and heading back to set it all up on the little corner table. It wasn’t until she had laid it all out that she realized what she had done, suddenly sobbing and falling into the chair next to her.

“Anne?!” Robin yelled, coming in from the balcony, “Wha- oh…”

Gemma joined them and noticed the innocent mistake, an additional meal to what the three of them would be eating. A meal for Harry…

“God let this end soon” Robin thought to himself…

\-----

“Louis…? Lou you awake?” Louis heard his name being called but in his dream he was seeing Harry, “Yeah, m’wake Haz, just give me a minute” he said before blinking the world back to focus.

Louis heard an awkward cough to his right, a feminine cough, a definitely-not-Harry cough. 

“Oh…El. I’m…uh…” Louis said, feeling the pain of his own mistake.

“It’s okay Louis, I just wanted to check on you. You’ve been asleep for about 5 hours, are you feeling okay? Need to go to the bathroom or anything? The boys just finished cooking lunch if you wanted to eat a little something…” she said kindly.

“Uh, bathroom might be nice actually.” 

“Of course, I’ve got the wheelchair right here, come on…” she said, helping him in and waiting outside the door.

He came back out and sat in the chair again where they went to the kitchen. Louis couldn’t help but remember the last time he was in here, with Harry, the way he had just left.

“Louis? You okay?” Eleanor asked.

“Yeah, m’fine. Just tired” Louis lied even though he knew Eleanor could see right through it but instead of pushing it she just sighed and said a warm “okay”.

“Morning Louis!” Liam called, Louis looking up to see them all setting the table, “You okay to sit at the table or would you like to eat on the bed?”

“No, no. I’ll sit with you guys, be nice to sit up for a while” Louis said, giving them a small smile.

Liam’s smile brightened exponentially and he started bringing the food over. They all settled down and said a small prayer before digging in. 

“It’s nice to have you back Tommo” Zayn chirped in.

“Nice to be back guys, and gals” Louis added.

“Want to tell me how boring life has been without my glowing presence?” Louis suddenly said, trying to lighten the mood.

They all chuckled before Niall spoke up saying, “Well let me tell you how I kicked all their arses in board games to begin with…” earning a groan from the others.

“Luck of the Irish, huh?” Louis said, smirking

“See, Tommo gets it! Anyway, so what happened was…” Niall said before Louis drifted off, thinking of Harry and only Harry.

\-----

“Beatrice, help me get him up the stairs!” Richard called, trying to get Harry’s drugged form up to the van.

“What on earth…Richard, what are you doing?” Beatrice asked, seeing him struggle to pull the boy up.

“Trying to get this kid up the stairs but damn, I forgot how tall he is…”

“Hang on a second, you grab under his arms and I’ll get his feet” Beatrice says, sliding past him and hauling half his weight up.

“Thanks dear.”

“Is he still asleep or somethin’?” Beatrice asks.

“Nah, had to drug him. Moving him was going to be painful as hell and I didn’t need the kid making loads of noise getting out of here” Richard says. 

“Where are you going to take him?” Beatrice asks.

“WE are taking him to the woods, going to get him off our hands just in case. I warned those people something bad would happen if they crossed us…now they have to pay the consequences.” 

“Who’s to say the police won’t come tearing down our door any time now?”

“Exactly dear. We’re getting him in the woods outside the city and then holing up in the van until we get the rest of the money, then we’re home free.”

“You’ve really thought this out, haven’t you?”

“One of us had to…” Richard clips.

They managed to get him up the stairs and onto the couch. Richard walked out to the shed to make sure no one was watching but then grabbed some thick climbing rope and a rag and cloth. He placed the items in the van before going back in to get his wife and get the boy in the back of the van. They traveled back down the familiar path towards the spot where they had met Robin before.

This time they turned off onto a little known pathway into the forest, driving deeper and deeper until they couldn’t see the city outline anymore. They chose a medium sized tree in a spot in the forest where runners sometimes came through but where Harry wouldn’t likely be spotted soon since it was still the cold of February. They brought the boy out and found that the drugs were beginning to wear off as he slightly mumbled from the movement.

“What’s…happening?” Harry stammered out weakly.

“Shut up boy, you’re just going to enjoy a little…camping, for a little while. What happens from there is up to your family” Richard says darkly, setting his feet out in front of him and binding them with the thick rope.

“Please…” Harry says, realizing they were in the middle of nowhere, “you can’t just leave me.”

“I can and I will, now I said shut UP!”

Richard pulled Harry’s hands behind his back and around the tree, tying them tightly as possible, earning a deep grimace from Harry at his already numb hands. He then looped a couple of rounds of rope around Harry’s chest and the tree, ensuring he wouldn’t slip forward or break free. 

“Please…” Harry quietly says.

“This is the end of the road for us, young Harry. Take care of yourself” Richard says, shoving the rag into his mouth and tying a gag around tightly. He then secured a blindfold in place before standing up and double-checking all the knots.

“Let’s go Beatrice, we need to get out of here” Richard says, placing a couple of branches in front of Harry’s form to slightly obscure him from sight. 

They both got into the van, Beatrice wondering if this was the best idea, and peeled off back home.

Harry finally realized that this would most likely be the place he would die and resigned to let the darkness take over again, at least Louis was with him in the darkness…

\-----

That night no one was able to get much rest. Everyone was worried sick about what the next few days would bring. Anne and Gemma had nightmares about Harry and what they saw him going through, Robin only able to help minutely. Des had had to return to his work under threat of being fired but promising to return at a moment’s notice.

Jay was trying to stay strong for the kids and not let them know too much of how dire things were turning, based on Anne’s description of Harry’s condition when they last saw him.

Zayn, Perrie, Liam, Sophia, and Eleanor were all trying to keep Louis’ spirits up. He had shocked them all by managing to walk around the apartment under supervision, slowly regaining a little strength. That night though he had exhausted himself and was now quickly falling back to sleep. 

The police were preparing for a fight but considering the couple was a simpleton type they weren’t too worried about an all-out war. They had prepared all their equipment during the evening hours so that they could be in position early the next morning. 

Everyone felt the looming end but instead of hope something was filling them with dread. 

But why?

Harry, meanwhile, was slowly slipping away in the forest. He was only wearing his sweater and jeans and socks. His boots were never returned nor was he given any defenses against the harsh cold settling into the night air. He had weakly tugged at the bonds but they weren’t giving and he was in no condition to fight.

“I’m sorry Lou…” was the last thing he thought before darkness took over one last time.


	14. Heartstrings

Robin, Anne, Gemma, and Jay were all on red alert the next morning as they awaited the news on the police raid. 

The sheriff promised to keep them updated and did until the point that it came time to make their presence known. They had watched the couple prepare a breakfast meal and eat with small conversation between the two. They eventually moved to a small living area but there was still no sign of the boy…

“Okay everyone, it’s now or never. Let’s go, eyes and ears stay open in case this goes badly and no one makes any sudden moves” the sheriff instructed.

All of the force moved forward as stealthily as possible until they were in their designated positions surrounding the home and allowing the sheriff to knock on the door to draw the couple out.

A woman answered the door and let out a friendly, “Hello! How may I help you sir?”

“Ma’am, is your name Beatrice?”

She blanched for a moment before nervously looking around and squeaking out a “Yes?”

“I’m with the police force out of London an-“ was all the sheriff got out before the woman yelled “Richard, it’s the cops!” and they both took off running for the back entrance.

“Hold it!” the sheriff yelled and taking after them.

Richard and Beatrice ran but were met with a blockade of policemen who instantly grabbed them and cuffed them.

“Okay, Richard and Beatrice, where’s the boy?” the sheriff said, looking at them.

“What boy? What in the world are you coming storming up in my house for?!” Richard attempted to feign.

“You can cut the crap and make this easy or hard but we’ll turn your house upside down either way. We know you’re holding one Harry Styles against his will and it’s only a matter of time before we find him”.

“Good luck” Richard said with an evil smile, instantly throwing away the act.

The sheriff felt instantly uneasy before motioning to his men to search the property. Every room was searched, including the basement, but no trace of Harry was found anywhere. 

“Boss the place is empty…” an officer reports back to him after desperately searching.

“What do you mean it’s empty?!” he says ferociously.

“Hey boss! Wait! I got something here” another cop shouted from the shed.

“Yeah, what is it?” the sheriff asked.

“Found a squeaky board in the shed here and if I shine my light through I think I can see something. Should we pull it up?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” They pulled the board up to find the duffle bag of money and…boots. Harry’s boots. The sheriff left the officer to report the money in while grabbing the shoestrings of the boots and walking back over to the couple.

“Care to explain to me why you have his boots?” the sheriff asked, holding them in front of them.

“Token of our achievement” Richard smirked back.

The sheriff had seen this before but only in murders…was there any chance Harry was still alive or were the boots a trophy for his captors…?

“Last chance…tell me where he is and we might be able to work out a deal.”

“Let us go and maybe we’ll talk.” Richard says.

“No, absolutely not, not an option. You might as well just give it up now” the sheriff says, hoping to break through the man’s tough exterior.

“Have fun finding the boy, hope you make it in time…” was Richard’s last warning before they did another sweep of the home and surrounding property and loaded them into separate SUV’s.

“Beatrice…I’m appealing to you now, PLEASE, tell me where the boy is? Is he back there at the farmhouse?” the sheriff asks, checking for her reaction in the rearview mirror.

Silence. She knew but wouldn’t do anything to get her husband in trouble, even though they were in this together and it was her idea.

“Please…there is a family who is worried sick and just wants this over with. Beatrice, have you ever had children? Yeah? Then how would you feel if one of yours was taken from you? Ripped from your life with hardly any trace…what would you do? From my understand, this boy is running out of time if he hasn’t already so PLEASE, help me out here?” the sheriff pleaded.

“I can’t…” Beatrice finally quietly says.

The sheriff just sighs and knows he won’t break her now but eventually, he would wear her down. His only worry now was whether or not it would be in time to save this kid.

\-----

“What about now? Is there anything now?” Anne asks Robin for the millionth time that day.

“No, Anne, I promise you’ll know the minute I do…” he says, still anxiously waiting the sheriff’s call. 

“What if something has gone wrong?” Gemma asks, seeking comfort in their eyes that she hasn’t found in weeks.

“We’d know, I’m sure. We just have to be patient” Robin says soberly until his phone starts ringing.

“It’s the sheriff” he says, looked wide-eyed at Anne.

“Answer it then, go!” Anne says.

“Hello? Yes, we’re still at the hotel, why? What happened with the raid? What do you mean…? Of course, we’ll wait here then…” Robin says before slowly hanging up and closing his eyes.

“Robin? What is it? What’d he say?” Anne asks.

“He wouldn’t tell me, just told me to stay where we are…” Robin trails off.

“You don’t think…? How did he sound on the phone?” Anne asks.

“He sounded exactly the way we all look right now…” Robin says.

“And how is that?” Anne wonders, suddenly scared.

“Defeated.”

\-----

They all sat in silence for the next few hours while the police returned and booked the couple, questioning them while the sheriff went to the hotel.

Robin answered as quickly as possible when he heard the knocking.

“Hello sheriff, come on in…” he says, nervously gesturing to the sitting area.

“Robin, Anne, Gemma…” he says nodding.

“Well, what is it that we had to wait so long to hear?” Anne frustratedly asks.

“Mr. and Mrs. Twist, we searched the entire property, including the surrounding woods. There was no sign that Harry was even there until we found the money and something else hidden under a loose board in the shed…” the sheriff starts.

“What do you mean ‘something else’? What do you mean no sign…where is my son?!” Anne frantically asks.

“Mrs. Twist, we’re doing all can I will assure you. We’re getting our choppers and grounds crew ready for a search in the local areas as we speak. We found the money and a pair of boots, Mrs. Twist, do you recognize these?” the sheriff asks, showing a picture on his phone.

“Oh my God…those are Harry’s…” Anne says.

“We thought so. I have to be honest, the couple had no intention of being caught. We found many bags and belongings loaded up in the van and they looked ready to be on the move for a while. Possibly even living in the van until the heat died down, we’re not sure. They’re not breaking right now but we’re doing everything we can…” the sheriff says lightly.

“So what happens now?” Gemma pipes in.

“We search. We send our teams out and try to gather volunteers in the search but in the harsh weather we’re running on limited time. I have to warn you,” the sheriff says, ”that this may become a recovery mission instead of search&rescue if Harry’s not found in the new few days.”

Anne immediately crumbles at this statement and is gathered up into Robin’s shocked form.

“I’ll leave you to be with each other, we’ll update if there’s any news…” the sheriff mournfully says, heading towards the door.

“Robin…where could he be?” Anne finally manages after thirty minutes of silence from the torn family.

“They’ll find him” Robin says, unsure of who he’s really trying to convince at that point.

“He could be anywhere…what if he’s out in the woods? Alone? He’ll freeze to death in this mum…” Gemma says.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll just have to see what happens…” Anne says, vowing that they’ll all go join the search immediately.

“Robin, Gemma, we need to go to the flat…”

“What? Why?” Robin asks.

“We need to call Jay and tell her what’s happened and then…” Anne trails off in dread.

“…we need to talk to Louis?” Gemma guesses, filling in what her mum couldn’t bring herself to say.

“Exactly.”

\-----

“Louis, look at you! Mate, you’ll be ready to start running from fans again before you know it!” Liam says lightheartedly as he watches Louis manage to get up on his own and walk towards the kitchen.

“I’m already feeling a lot better…,” Louis says, “where are the rest of the brady bunch?” 

“Out shopping for groceries, most of the food here was spoiled so they took it upon themselves to replenish.” 

“Oh, well, that’s really good on them.”

A car pulled up just then where Louis and Liam turned to see in curiosity.

“It’s…Anne? And Robin and Gemma? Wonder what they’re doing here…” Louis says.

“Probably here to check on their favorite dweeb, of course” Liam retorts.

Louis shakes his head but gets up and heads over to the door to open it for them. Before he can even squeak a “hello” Anne is running up to him and pulling him into her arms.

“Wha-?” Louis says, shocked.

“Louis…,” Anne says pulling back and placing her hands on either one of his cheeks and searching his eyes, “Louis we need to talk.”

“Okay, come in…is everything alright?” He asks, allowing them all to pass through to the living room.

“Take a seat Louis, Liam if you’d like to join us seeing as you’re here…” Robin adds.

“What is it?” Liam asks, confused.

“Boys…” Anne starts.

“Just tell us already!” Louis suddenly shouts.

Anne and Robin recount the details of the sheriff’s raid and hotel visit, Louis and Liam soaking up every word.

“So what you’re telling me is…” Louis says quietly.

“Harry’s missing…” Gemma says.

“He was already missing Gem!” Louis shouts.

“But this time…”

“He’s gone, Louis. We don’t know where but he’s gone.” Robin states.

“He gone…” 

\-----

Eventually Anne, Robin, and Gemma take their leave and the group return later with groceries for the flat.

“Louis?” Eleanor worriedly asks, taking in his shaking and sobbing frame the instant they walk inside.

“Guys, hang on…we need to talk” Liam says, motioning them away from Louis and towards the kitchen.

He explains in every pain-staking detail the story told to he and Louis. They all sit in dumbfounded silence before Eleanor returns to Louis and simply pulls him into her embrace.

“I’m so sorry Louis, there’s still hope though right?” she says.

“El…they don’t know, they just don’t know…” he stammers out.

“Oh God…what if I’ve really lost him? I can’t…I don’t know what I’ll do without him…” Louis says. 

“It’s going to be okay, just hang on, you’ll see” Eleanor says before just holding him.

Much of the day is spent that way with the boys recounting the story to their own families to keep them updated. Many were already on their way to London to assist in the search. But the next 24 hours went much the same to everyone’s frustration. It was midday the next day when Louis decided he had had enough of sitting around. 

“Louis, where the hell do you think you’re going?” Zayn asks, surprised when he stands and gets dressed.

“Out.” Louis says.

“You must be crazy…sit back down” Zayn says.

“YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Louis screams at him.

“I’M TIRED OF SITTING, I’M TIRED OF DOING NOTHING! HARRY IS OUT THERE AND PROBABLY DEAD BY NOW AND YOU JUST WANT ME TO SIT HERE?! Get out of my way…” He says angrily, brushing angrily past the group now standing in the hallway before walking out the front door and slamming it shut.

They all know he probably shouldn’t be out there alone but what else could they do? Louis had been trapped for weeks in a hospital and now felt trapped in his own home…what in the world would they do to make it better? Nothing could change except for Harry’s presence, reminders scattered in the way of pictures placed all around the flat.

No, he needed time alone to breathe, to think, to just…

Grieve.

\-----

Everyone able-bodied was searching the city for possibilities, starting with the warehouse. Even legions of fans had joined in which actually left the police force a little overwhelmed with the response. 

Louis walked the familiar path along the edge of the city and forest, remembering every walk he and Harry had taken when they needed to get out. How he even followed Harry sometimes after an argument, just to be sure he was safe. 

It wasn’t until a little further that he recognized the little pathway that park vehicles sometimes took when a camper was lost. He decided to take a walk through the woods, just putting as much distance between himself and the city as possible. He had to have been gone at least half and hour by now…but he kept pushing farther. It wasn’t until another five miles in that he realized just how long he had been walking, losing sight of the city through the trees completely. He knew it would be getting dark soon and decided to turn back. As he headed the opposite direction he caught a glimpse of a something in the forest line. Or was it a someone? No, his mind was just playing tricks but nonetheless he went to investigate…

He felt himself slowly losing grip on reality though as he walked forward. Those jeans…the shirt…the long curly hair….those tattoos…

“Harry?!”

\-----

Louis stumbled forward towards him…HIM…Harry, to Harry!

He ran as quickly as he could to the boy and took in his appearance. He was tightly bound to the tree and gagged as well as blindfolded…he was ghostly pale and sweating, even though he was shaking with chills. The wheezing sound coming from him only served to bring Louis back to action where he quickly took the boy’s slumped head in his hands and tried to wake him, removing the blindfold.

With no luck he went to work on undoing the knots keeping Harry held to the tree before freeing his swollen hands and feet. Now free he gently laid him on the ground and removed the gag and pulled out the rag. 

He quickly searched his face and body for any visible injuries, noting a fading bruise on his face and almost throwing up at the mottled bruises on his stomach. He knew Harry had to be freezing but the wheezing, while labored, meant that Harry was at least still breathing. He pulled off his own jacket before draping it around Harry and pulling him into his arms as much as possible.

It was in this moment that he realized what was at stake here. Not just a person, or band mate, or best friend. No, this was so much more. Fear, anger, worry, etc., didn’t even begin to describe the last few weeks. So as he held the sickly, beaten, weak boy that he thought he had had a grip on for so long, it was then that he realized what he was truly dealing with here.

For the first time he didn’t just hold the boy in my arms, where they sat on the ground in the forest, for the first time in quite a while Louis felt the LOVE for this boy. It wasn’t until he found him, FINALLY, after all these weeks apart and the past few days of pure misery that his heart felt something other than grief. 

Louis pulled Harry’s long body up even more so as to cradle him against his chest hoping to at least bring a tiny bit of warmth to Harry in this brief moment as Harry always brought to him on a daily basis.

No, there was more than just a friend’s life on the line here, this was the love of Louis’ life slowly fading away…

“Harry…? Harry, baby? Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me?” Louis asked, looking down and brushing back the long chocolate curls from his beautiful face.

He didn’t hope for much, after the last few weeks Louis was almost getting used to the silence. But here, in this tiny moment, so precious that it was barely a whisper but over in a blink Louis heard the one voice he thought he would never hear again…

“Louis?”


	15. Crashing

Louis’ POV

 

Stunned.

Dumbfounded.

Shocked.

Relieved even?

I couldn’t process the round of emotions going through my own conscience. Did I really just hear that? I’m not hallucinating am I?

“Har…Harry?” I say.

“Lou…is…” the voice sang out again, very much real this time.

“Oh Hazza…” 

What do I even say? What can I even say in this moment?

“I have missed you so much Haz…” I say, slowly remembering that this really him, really the boy that has been missing for the last 3 ½ weeks.

“You still with me Haz?” I say, taking in his pale complexion again and labored breathing.

“I’m…here…just…cold” Harry says, so pain ridden that each breath and shiver breaks my heart a little more.

“I know, we’re going to get you out of here, I promise. Here…” I say, pulling off my own jacket and dragging it around his too thin frame.

I pull out my phone but curse immediately, had I really gone far enough to lose service? Luck was not on my side it seemed…

“Harry…I don’t want to but I need to get to help. I need to find help for you, I don’t have signal here. I just need to head closer to town just a little bit but I’ll be back, yeah? Harry?” I ask but the boy was simply staring at me with fever-ridden eyes that pleaded with a silent pain.

“Please…don’t…go” he says, a slow tear slipping out.

“Okay, okay…just, stay awake for me?” I say, knowing I had no right to ask so much from him but still hoping.

“Okay” he slightly laughs before grimacing, “Lou…need to shift, ribs are aching.”

“Oh, sorry, here, is this better?” I ask, shifting him that his back is flat against my chest and his head lazily resting on my left shoulder, face turned towards my neck. The tremors racking his body increased as night began to fall on both of us. 

“I’m cold…” he said again.

“I know buddy but the boys and everyone will know something is up, they’ll come looking. Just stay awake.”

“Lou…”

“Yeah Haz?”

“The stars…look at them, remember when we went on that skiing trip and got lost on the trail? Remember how clear the stars were that night?” 

I remembered, of course, we had been up to no good as usual and decided to deviate from the path which ended up in us getting lost and stranded for the night. It was one of the first proper times we had alone with each other after flying through X Factor. We had no means of getting back or sense of direction so we simply found a relatively safe spot and stared up at the stars, talking about how we never got a view like this under the London lights.

“Yeah mate…you know what else I remember? You wouldn’t shut up the whole night…” I say, chuckling to myself at his shit-eating grin.

“But nothing compares to the Leeds Festival, right?” I say, trying to keep him talking.

“Of course…not” he says, before falling into a fit of coughs that leave him exhausted.

“Hazza, just relax…try to slow down your breathing a little. That’s it…” I say as his breathing finally evens out a little bit.

“Louis…I’m so tired…” he says as his eyes start to drift closed.

“NO! No don’t you dare Harold, don’t even think about it” I say, pulling him up in a straighter position to get a better look at his face.

“Harold? Really Lewis?” he snorts before slacking again.

“Come on Harry, please stay awake…” I plead, all joking put aside as he starts going limp in my arms.

“Lou…”

“Yeah Haz?”

“I love you…” he says before finally falling unconscious.

“I love you too.”

\-----

“Where in the world is he?!” Anne screams for the millionth time that afternoon. Night was falling and they were losing precious time.

“Why in the HELL did you just let him leave?!” She rounds on the lads in the flat, burning them with pure rage in her eyes.

“Anne…I’m so…I don’t…he was just so upset…” Liam tries.

“So that makes it okay for you to just let him walk out the door after he’s been hospitalized for three weeks and my son still MISSING?” Anne retorts.

“No Anne, of course not but…”

“But NOTHING, this is unbelievable…” she says, pacing back and forth. They had searched the only places they would know he would go to be rewarded with nothing.

“Anne?” Niall asks.

“WHAT?!” She furiously responds.

“I was just thinking…he left because he was upset about Harry, as much as we would like to believe he stayed in the city isn’t it possible he wanted to go wherever he would feel closest to Harry?” he quietly says.

“Naturally Niall but where are you going with this?”

“Harry always walked that path next to the woods if he needed to clear his head or after he and Louis had an argument. Is it possible Louis went there again?”

“Of course but he’d still have cell service there…” Anne says.

“Not if he…well…”

“What, Niall? Out with it?”

“There’s a little path that goes through the forest for park vehicles, joggers use it for the most part. What if he went INTO the forest like Harry does sometimes?”

“You don’t think…? But Niall it’s so cold out there…” Anne says worriedly.

“I know, it’s just…if he wanted to feel closer to Harry he would probably want to get as far from everything else as possible since that’s mostly what Harry does these last few months.”

“We have to get a search team out there…NOW!” She says, turning to Robin and Gemma.

“Already on it…sheriff says they can search for a few hours tonight but it’s too cold to be out past 10 or so” Robin says.

“Too cold…? These are young boys who might be out there freezing Robin! Who cares about the cold when they’re trapped out there?”

“Anne…we don’t know anything for sure. We only have Niall’s hunch and while it’s a good one, there’s no guarantee he’s there. Come on, let’s just get everyone we can together and go. They said to meet us out at the warehouse as a base point.”

“Fine…” Anne says, stalking out the door.

“It’s okay boys, you were only trying to be a good friend and let him have his space. Anne will call down, just don’t take it personally, okay?” Robin says, giving them a reassuring nod before gesturing to them to the cars.

“We’ll wait outside until you’re ready to go, make sure you but on some sneakers or boots for this and DRESS WARM. Also…if you could grab a couple of blankets just in case…” Robin says.

“Of course, we’ll be out there in five minutes tops” Zayn replies.  
\-----

Louis’ POV

 

It had to have been at least…what? Six hours or more since I left? They had to be looking by now, right? Would they even know where to look?

Harry had been unconscious at least two hours but at least his breathing had evened out a little more besides the occasional wracking cough. 

I’m starting to feel the effects of being out in the cold for so long, I can’t imagine the pain wracking Harry’s mind right now. I knew I shouldn’t be going out after just getting out of the hospital, there was no way I could get help now. I would surely pass out before I even broke the tree line. 

No, someone would come on along…for Harry’s sake, I just hoped it would be sooner rather than later as I subconsciously pulled his frame closer to mine willing him to keep going just a little bit longer…

\-----

“Okay, we’re going to start at that path the young man told us about. We’ve got a team of about 40 people who will start in a line and spread out over a ten mile radius. If we don’t find him within that limits we’re going to have to pull out for the night and continue in the morning. We’ve got an ambulance on standby just in case and some paramedics will be traveling on foot with us” the sheriff explains to Robin and Anne before turning to the search team, “Has everyone got their equipment ready to go? Good. Do NOT lose sight of each other and make sure to shine your light on every spot possible, he could be anywhere and if he’s trapped out in the cold we could be looking at hypothermia. If you see ANYTHING, call out. Got it? Okay, let’s go.” 

They all begin the trek through the woods with choruses of “Louis!” ringing out left and right.

Two miles in and they had found nothing but kept pushing deeper and deeper…

\-----

My body is shutting down, exhaustion from being stuck in the hospital for so long slowly taking over. I couldn’t regret my decision for leaving though because I had been pulled toward the most important thing in my life.

My love.

And he was slowly slipping away from me. I thought I could faintly make out the shouts of people and lights glimmering occasionally but that couldn’t be…

Lights, like the way Harry’s green eyes shone. What I wouldn’t give to see those eyes shining bright again or those dimples of his happiest smiles.

I simply turned his head up towards me where his lips were slightly parted allowing a wheezing sound to escape. Despite his sickness, despite his pain, despite the fighting we’d done, despite his too frail appearance, he was just as beautiful as ever…

I connected our lips together briefly, gently, as I wasn’t sure I would get the chance to do it again. I felt bad knowing our first (and possibly last) kiss came as he was dying but it was worth it. Stroking his face that was pale with weariness and flushed with sickness I did the only thing I knew to do anymore…

“I have loved you since we were 18..." 

\-----

“Anything?” the sheriff calls out.

“Not here!” “Nothing!” “Nope!” rang out all around, hopelessness settling in as they passed the fourth mile of the trip.

\-----

"...long before we both thought the same thing..."

\-----

“Where could he be?” Eleanor said.

“We’ll find him, just keep going” Perrie said, giving a quick one-shouldered hug and continuing on.

\-----

"...to be loved and to be in love…”

\-----

“Wait…! I…I think I see something out there…Hear that?” one of the search members called out, before everyone stopped and listened. Sure enough, a voice could be heard…singing?   
Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat before they quickened the pace towards the sound of the voice.

Half a mile later and it was becoming more distinct before suddenly going quiet but Liam, Zayn, and Niall would recognize those lyrics anywhere. It was their own song after all…

“It’s Louis! It’s gotta be Lou…” Zayn said.

\-----

“And all I can do is say that these arms were made for loving you…”

I cradled Harry again like before trying to warm him up better, which was proving difficult considering my own body was slowly shutting down to the bitter cold. I gave his face one more look and ran my fingers through his hair before continuing a little more…

“I wanna love like you made me feel when we were 18…I love you Harry, don’t give up” I whisper just as the voices made their way into my blurred vision…

\-----

“I see him! LOUIS!” Liam cries out.

“Wait…there’s someone with him!” Niall cries out next, earning everyone’s attention again.

“Louis! Can you hear us?” Eleanor calls trying to get him to lift his head up.

The EMT’s and sheriff made it there ahead of everyone, blocking out the view of Louis and whoever was with him.

Several officers held the group back from advancing under the sheriff’s orders just in case they were met with an unfortunate scene.

The sheriff turned with disbelief in his eyes before motioning to allow Anne and Robin forward. They walked around in confusion but were rewarded with the gasps of everyone around them as the sheriff finally moved out of the way. 

There, right before them, was the most painfully beautiful sight they had seen in quite a while. Louis was sat against a tree, half conscious but otherwise fine holding their son who was deeply unconscious and breathing raggedly. What surprised them (though not really) was the way Harry was tucked deeply into Louis’ arms, his face nuzzled into his neck and Louis leaning his head against Harry’s. Louis’ jacket was wrapped tightly around the boy cradled against his chest.

“Harry…? Louis…?” Anne called lightly in an attempt to stir them.

“Anne…” came Louis’ voice, thought sounding distant as his eyes were.

“Yeah Louis, we’re here. Are you doing okay?” she asked, noticing how tight his grip was on Harry despite his weakened position.

“M’fine…Harry…” he said, lifting his head to look up at the boy.

“I know Louis…we need to get him out of here okay? Can you loosen up a bit so paramedics can get a look at him?” she said, slowly pulling his arms free of Harry.

“No, no…gotta keep him warm…” Louis said absently.

“Louis…you have to let up so they can help him. Okay, he needs help. They need to get you both out of here but you have to loosen up.”

“Okay…” he said, finally moving his numb limbs and feeling Harry tugged free and watched as he was laid flat on a makeshift gurney, paramedics immediately jumping over him.

They called out words left and right over a radio, probably getting their partners waiting back at the base point ready to go.

Louis saw a lone paramedic checking him, knowing about his recent hospitalization before the paramedic said he just needed to be taken with Harry to be checked out properly.

The rest of the group was finally allowed to come closer as most of the search team began to head back to the base. Arms were all over him and a blanket pulled around him before he could finally make out the voices…

“Zayn? Liam? Niall?” he said, a smiling crossing his lips.

“Hey bud! Perrie, Sophia, and Eleanor are here too…” Liam said, they were all flashing concerned glances back and forth to him and Harry. They all wanted to see Harry but he was in a bad place and they knew they wouldn’t get close enough with him in such a state. They were scared but Harry was here, really here now. 

The medics said something to each other in concerned tones before quickly scooping Harry’s strapped down figure up and heading back towards the ambulance waiting. 

“We need to get going NOW, that young man needs to come with us to be checked out too. Can you follow us out?” One of the paramedics asked in a rush, Anne, Robin, and Gemma keeping close to Harry’s unconscious frame. 

“Of course, we’ll be right behind you, lads?” Zayn said, motioning them to help him lift Louis up after Harry.

It felt like forever but they finally reached the road again where Harry was quickly loaded into the ambulance and the paramedics worked to hook him up to IV’s and an oxygen mask was slipped over his pale face.

Louis slid into one of the seats in the back beside Harry to be monitored as well.

Before he knew it everyone was rushing off to their cars with promises of meeting them there while the ambulance sped away in a fury of lights and sirens. He could physically feel the tension in their bodies as they kept track of Harry’s poor vitals.

The one closest to the driver suddenly got a semi-panicked look on his face just as a monitor nearby began to beep wildly. 

“Drive faster! He’s crashing!” the paramedic yelled before turning back to Harry and preparing the paddles if he flatlined completely.

I couldn’t do anything but sit there and watch the scene unfold…

Harry was dying before my eyes.


	16. Fever

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

“Wha…” What is that ridiculous sound filling my ears?

“Louis…? Are you waking up?” Oh crap…

“Mum?”

“Yeah love, can you open your eyes?” 

“Where am I?” I say, finally cracking my eyes open to take in the white walls and sterile smell.

“Back in the hospital, Anne called me yesterday afternoon when you decided to take a nature hike”, she says giving me a pointed glare, “you passed out in the ambulance apparently.”

“Ambulance? But…Oh. Oh God….Harry? Where is Harry?!” 

“Louis, slow down. Relax” she says, glancing nervously at the steadily rising heart monitor before it finally slows down.

“Mum…he was dying. Where is he?! Please don’t tell me…”

“No, no Louis. I don’t know, love. He was dangerously close to coding in the ambulance but they managed to get him inside. He was immediately taken back and we haven’t heard anything yet.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Not too long actually, just about an hour. They want to keep you here at least a couple of nights while you gain your strength back. Just a little dehydration and slight hypothermia setting in when they found you, coupled with that last month’s events…you’re fine they just don’t want you getting any more ideas about jeopardizing your health. Louis, what were you even thinking going out there like that? You know you shouldn’t have been up and about yet.”

“Mum, I wish I could say I was sorry but I can’t…something in me just snapped and I had to go out. I’m sorry for making you worry but I’m not sorry for doing it. What if I hadn’t? Harry might have still been out there now…he was in such a bad way mum…”

“I know, I’m so sorry but you found him and all we can do now is hope for the best. Anne and Gemma and Robin are a right mess, not like they haven’t been the whole time but they’re crumbling and they need us to be strong. Harry needs you to be strong.”

“I feel like I’ve heard that a lot lately…”

She doesn’t say anything but give me a sympathetic glance before running a hand through my hair and glancing back to the nurse’s station.

“You really haven’t heard anything then?” I ask.

“No love, Harry was in rough shape when they brought him in. His injuries were making it hard enough to breathe but it seems that his illness is what they’re really concerned about. We all know how much trouble he has with his allergies and the fact that he’s had pneumonia, without his inhaler, and then was stuck out in the forest…it’s touchy right now, to be honest.”

“Touchy…? As in…?”

“They don’t know if he’ll last through the night Lou” she says sadly.

“But…he’s Harry. He’s made it this far, he wouldn’t just give up now would he?” 

“That’s up to him now. It could be a while before we know anything so why don’t you try to get some sleep? Are you cold? Do you need anything?” she says, noting my eyes slowly closing.

“Just a little cold…” 

“Okay, I’ll see about getting you another blanket, just rest.”

“Thanks mum…love you…” I say.

I never heard her come back.

\-----

“Anne?” 

“Jay? What are you doing down here? Is Louis alright?” she asks quietly, looking up from her spot next to Robin who has an arm wrapped around her.

“Louis’ fine, he just woke up a few minutes ago actually. A little disoriented, he didn’t remember passing out in the ambulance but he’s gone back to sleep.”

“That’s great…” she says sadly, looking at the floor.

“Anything on Harry yet?” I ask but I already know the answer.

“Not yet, just the first doctor coming out to get our input on his recommendation for treatment.”

“These things take a while…is there anything you need? I could go get you guys something to eat? Coffee maybe?”

“No, I’m okay” she says, Gemma and Robin answering the same.

“Very well, just let me know if you need anything…” she says, heading back to Louis’ room on the third floor.

Anne, Gemma, and Robin had sat there for an hour and half, waiting on something, ANYTHING.

They were prepared to wait the rest of their lives if they had to though. As fate would have it, they only had to wait another two hours before a doctor finally emerged.

“Family of Harry Styles?” he asked, looking around.

“Here! We’re here!” Anne said, about to stand up.

“No, no, stay there” he said sympathetically, taking a seat across from them and leaning forward with a tired expression.

“How is he…?” Robin asks nervously, suddenly afraid of the man’s demeanor.

“Harry is…a fighter, first and foremost. We had to open him up to check for any internal damage done by the rib injuries but everything is fine there. No punctured lungs. His ribs, however, are broken and will need time to heal. We’ve wrapped them. His wrists and ankles sustained a lot of bruising and rope burns from being tied up but we were able to clean them up and wrap them to keep any infection starting. Those will be painful but he simply needs time for that to heal” he paused, looking at them so that they had a minute to process that information.

“What is it then? What’s with that look?” Gemma asked, getting anxious.

“As you already knew, Harry is fighting off an extreme case of pneumonia. His allergies first starting before spreading deeper into his lungs and intensifying. His fever is much too high and his body is already weak from the rib injuries. The broken ribs and pneumonia together are making it almost impossible for him to be able to cough out the phlegm before exhaustion takes over.”

“So what you’re saying is…?”

“His lungs are blocked up with phlegm which he can’t get out because he can’t stay conscious long enough to cough it out. The pain from the broken ribs and lack of oxygen is too much. We’re trying something incredibly risky. We had to insert a tube to drain his lungs which meant his already troubled breathing put him in a tight spot. The hypothermia is contrasting the fever and making him highly unstable.”

“So will he be okay or not?”

“The next 48 hours will be critical but the next week will show us which way we’re heading. Harry is fighting a very long and hard battle Mr. and Mrs. Twist but I have to prepare you, we’re not sure he’ll even survive the night at this point. He’s weak and there’s too much stress on his heart and lungs. We’ve had to place him on a ventilator and if he gets much worse we’ll have to place him on life support” he says solemnly, pausing again.

“Life support…” Anne whispered, shock written on her features.

“Can we see him?” Robin asks.

“Normally I would say no but I’ll allow you three to see him for a couple of minutes only. After that he’ll be placed in a room where only doctors and nurses can enter so as to keep the environment as sterile as possible. We can’t risk him catching any other illnesses. If you’ll follow me…” he says, standing up and waiting for them to follow suit.

It was a sight they never wanted to see again.

Harry was laid flat out on a bed, wires coming and going in every direction. His shirt removed revealed his wrapped torso and a heated blanket covered his bottom half. The heart monitor showed a poor blood pressure and slow rhythm. The ventilator clicked in a steady beat, supplying sweet oxygen to his weak form. He was pale from the hypothermia, dehydration, and starvation but still showed signs of the raging fever sweeping through him. He was alive.

But barely so.

They stayed for a few minutes before the doctor returned and ushered them out, allowing his nurses to wheel Harry to the next room where he would stay solitary until he showed signs of improvement.

“He’s so sick Robin…why did this happen to him?” Anne whispered out, putting an arm around a crying Gemma as they all watched Harry pushed into an elevator to be taken to ICU.

“I don’t know love…but you heard the doctor, he’s a fighter. He won’t give up on us. Let’s go for now, there’s nothing more we can do here” Robin says, regretting having to leave him. 

“Okay…I just want to stop by and see Louis before we go. Meet you out at the car?” Anne says, turning back towards the elevators.

Gemma and Robin headed off to the exit to warm the car while Anne made her way to Louis’ room.

“Anne…hey. Did you hear something?” she said, taking in Anne’s quiet appearance.

“Yeah, it’s bad Jay. He’s fighting hard but that’s the problem, too much stress on his body is causing him to shut down. They’re just not sure at this point…” Anne said, trailing off. 

“Oh Anne…I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, maybe call the lads if you wouldn’t mind? We had them leave after the first hour to go home and rest for the night while we waited.”

“Of course, Louis woke up again briefly but he’s been sleeping otherwise. Think the emotional stress is finally taking its own toll…” Jay said, looking over at him.

“I’m glad he’s okay though. I’m going to head out to the car, Robin and Gemma are waiting. Harry’s being put in an isolated room to minimize risk of infection so we won’t be able to see him for a little while…”

“It’s for the best, try to get some rest and remember, at this point no news is good news. Call if you need anything.”

“Thanks Jay, same to you.”

Unbeknownst to either of the women Louis had been listening to the whole conversation, and with each word about Harry he could again feel his heart shatter just a little bit more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something to get you by while I work on the next part! Hope you're still enjoying and thank you so much for reading this. :)


	17. Belated

Louis’ POV

One week. It had been one week since Harry had been found and yet nothing was changing. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. I was stuck here for another night since the hypothermia lingered a little longer than it should have.

However, I wasn’t about to waste more time lying around

One afternoon a few days ago when everyone was out taking care of this or that I snuck out of my room to go to the ICU. The nurse’s station sat empty due to a troublesome patient that required all hands on deck. Fate finally played a hand as I snuck to Harry’s room and quickly entered.

As soon as I turned around I wanted to throw up.

He was still pale and shivering but sweating, presumably from the damn fever everyone kept talking about. His curls splayed out around his face where he lay flat with a tube sticking out of his mouth leading to the machine that pumping an even stream of oxygen. His ankles and wrists were all wrapped, would they scar?

Did it matter?

Harry wasn’t getting any worse and surprisingly had made it through the first two nights but the physical toll was still making it difficult for the doctors to be optimistic.

Seeing as no one was paying attention to this room I pulled a chair over next to Harry’s bed and took a hold of one of his clammy hands in my warm one.

Now a few days later, I was sitting in much the same position but finally found the courage to talk.

“Hey lad…I hear you haven’t been much of a talker? But don’t worry, I’m sure the nurses are just as charmed as ever even without your smooth talking…” Louis laughed, feeling awkward.

“I just, uhh…I’ve missed you Hazza, no one is really allowed up to see you while you’re taking your beauty sleep so if you could open your eyes up already…” 

I couldn’t bring myself to keep looking at him so instead I turned my gaze to his limp hand, stroking over his pale skin.

“Harry…Anne needs you to wake up. So does Gemma. And Robin. And Lou and Lux. And the lads. And…And…me. Come on Harry, haven’t we had enough drama these last few weeks? Let us know you’re still in there, give us SOMETHING…please…” 

The doctors were even saying that Harry’s body couldn’t take much more of this fever, something about it being too much like boiling on the inside, he wouldn’t last forever.

I couldn’t just sit there, seemed like that was all the last month had consisted of, sitting.

Waiting.

It was now March 1, exactly one month since that fated day. 

Everyone was in and out of London. My mom had gone back to Doncaster only after forcing Anne to call her if anything changed and myself to promise no more hiking trips. The lads had all gone home for a few days to see their families but came back to our flat once I was released again. No one was allowed to see Harry the first few days for fear of him coming in contact with germs but now Anne, Gemma, or Robin were allowed in one at a time. They stayed with him constantly but even they needed time to eat and shower, leaving me with just enough time to make a visit of my own. 

I stand up and stretch, and walk to the head of the bed. I couldn’t help but wipe the sweat-plastered curls away from his face. I grab the cool washcloth from the bowl next to his bed and begin dabbing at his face to clean it off.

Still nothing.

I hated the silence, the only sound being the clicking of the ventilator and the beep of the heart monitor, they only things assuring me he was even still there. I turn around and head to look out of the window overlooking the city. 

Here in Harry’s room, everything seemed so still. Quiet. Like one wrong move would upset the pensive balance in the air. Out there, everyone still bustled about to work, shop, dine.

Live.

But something changed in that moment. I couldn’t figure out what it was but it made me turn around and look around the room. No, Harry was still out. No one else was in the room and only a few nurses now trickled back to the station outside. 

What was it?

Now it hit me, the sound was different. The heart monitor was beeping faster than before, could Harry be dreaming? God please don’t tell me he’s getting worse…

I walk tentatively over to him and take his hand in mine again, stroking a hand over his forehead but quickly pulled back in shock. Harry had moved, his head had actually twitched at my touch. And there, his hand, there was a slight squeeze which I returned quickly.

“Harry? Are you in there love? Can you open your eyes?” I say, searching his face for any sign of recognition. At first there was nothing and I wondered if I was starting to hallucinate but then there the pressure was again, he was squeezing my hand. I definitely wasn’t imagining that!

I looked back up to his face just in time to see his eyes fluttering. Slowly, and painfully, they dragged open but quickly shut at the light streaming in from the window. I pulled my hand from his reluctantly and walked over to the window to shut the blinds, noting the way his heart monitor picked up again at the loss of contact. I don’t know if he even realizes who it was there with him but the comfort the contact seemed to bring him was reassuring.

I returned quickly and took his hand again, calling out his name a couple of times. His eyes finally pulling open again and adjusting to the darkened room. The light above his bed was dim but provided enough light to not blind him and yet still illuminate everything around him. He woke up confusedly and started to panic but I quickly quieted him with a couple of “shhhh” and stroking, bringing my face into his line of sight.

“It’s okay Harry, slow down your breathing, there you go…that’s better. Are you with me? You’re in the hospital in London but you’re okay, you just have to stay calm” I say, waiting for his eyes to catch mine and light up in recognition.

He immediately relaxed upon seeing my face and nodded in understanding only to realize the tube was down his throat. He looked at me slightly panicked until I explained.

“It’s there to help you Haz. You have a couple of broken ribs that are healing and the pneumonia had set in pretty deep so they didn’t want to take any chances. As soon as you’re oxygen levels get back to a certain level they’ll take it out. Are you doing okay?” I ask, realizing he had no real way to answer.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back, I’m such an idiot…” I say, still in shock so much that I had forgotten to call a nurse.

I walked out to the station and saw a lingering nurse, “Umm, excuse me? My friend has just woken up…” I say awkwardly, waiting until she grew wide-eyed and went to find Harry’s doctor.

I go back to the room instantly and grab Harry’s hand again, realizing then that I needed to call Anne. Harry was seemingly in and out of it, sometimes looking at me with a curious expression before closing and then opening his eyes again.

“Anne? It’s Louis. I think you should get over here…” I say to Anne on the other end of the line. 

“To your flat? Louis, is everything okay?” she asks.

“No, no Anne. I know I was discharged but I came to see Harry while you were at the hotel. Yes, yes I know I’m not supposed to be in here but are you really going to stop me? ANNE. Harry is…Harry is fine, he’s just woken up actually” I say, waiting for her to absorb it. She immediately shrieked before yelling to Robin and Gemma and promising to be there as soon as they could.

I was happy to wait though, their arrival meant I had to leave and it was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Harry’s face had lit up at the mention of Anne’s name though and I knew he was as anxious to see her as she was to see him.

I was about to say something when the doctor walked in. I nodded in greeting before he smiled up at me from his clipboard and walked up to Harry, putting his own face in Harry’s limited line of sight. 

“Afternoon there Mr. Styles, I hear you have joined us again?” he says, taking in Harry’s response. 

“We’re not quite ready to take the tube out but for now I want you to blink once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no’, okay?” he says.

Harry blinks once.

“Good. I want to ask you a couple of questions just to make sure everything is okay. Is your name Harry Edward Styles? Is your birthday February 1, 1994? Is your mother Anne Twist?” he kept asking question after question testing his memory, asking if he remembered the events leading up to being here.

“That’s wonderful Harry, you seem to be doing well. Your fever is still a little high for our liking but it’s definitely come down a bit. Are you experiencing any numbness? [Two blinks] Pain? [One blink] Difficulty breathing out of your nose? [Two blinks]”

“Okay, is it your ribs? [One blink]. I would assume so, they were in pretty bad shape but thankfully didn’t do any internal damage. You’re going to experience some discomfort for a while but they’re healing quite nicely. Can you raise your arms for me? Good, now can your wiggle your toes?”

“That’s wonderful Harry, I’m very impressed young man. You’re a fighter, that’s for sure. I want you to keep resting and I’ll go get a nurse to administer some more pain medication for the ribs. I’ll check back in a little while” he says, squeezing Harry’s other hand before turning toward the door.

“Young man,” he suddenly says looking at me pointedly, “I normally wouldn’t be okay with anyone just breaking into my ICU patient’s room but I’ll allow you to stay for the time being. Just please don’t push him right now and make sure he gets REST”.

I just nodded at him and smiled before turning my attention back to Harry. I stroked a hand over his cheek still taking in his curious expression but unable to ask whatever question plagued his mind. A nurse then knocked on the door but showed up with a frazzled Anne and Co. instead of pain medication. She hugged me quickly before heading over to Harry, gently taking his face between her hands and planting a kiss to his forehead, mumbling to him quietly. The nurse explained everything the doctor had just told Harry before administering the medication. I stood at the door while they all crowded around him.

Eventually a nurse ushered everyone out but allowed us a minute to say goodbye before the medication took over. Anne allowed me to go last which I graciously accepted. I simply walked up to him and hooked eyes one more time before stroking a hand through his hair. He looked at me curiously again when I planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered the lamest thing I could ever say before his need for sleep finally consumed him.

“Happy Birthday Harry.”


	18. A/N

Hey everyone! I just wanted to apologize for the lack of update on this story. I hit a rough patch recently and then just couldn't figure out how to continue with the story. I'm working on it now and I'm going to update as soon as I possibly can.

Thank you so much for being patient and for reading this story at all, it has meant the world to me with it being my first go at this and it's encouraged me to keep going and improve. It means the world to me to see kudos and read amazing comments, so keep them coming and if there's something I can do for you I gladly will.

Again, thank you SO much and I promise an update is coming soon! I love you!


	19. Whole Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is absolute rubbish but I definitely wouldn't want to just stop the story so I hope this is okay. There's still a chapter more to come to finish it all up but I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, thank you! <3

“Are you sure he’s ready for this? What if he can’t breathe?” Anne frantically asks.

“Mrs. Twist, I appreciate your concern but I assure you he’s doing quite well. He’s been able to wake up and stay awake for two days now, don’t you want this to happen?” the doctor asks with a slight chuckle.

“Yes, yes, you’re right, of course…”

“Okay Harry, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going pull the tube out on the count of three and I want you to exhale while we’re doing it. After that I just need you to give me a couple of coughs and some deep breaths until you feel control. If you feel any uneasiness or too much difficulty we’re going to put it back in and try again another day. Just stay relaxed, I’m confident you’re ready for this. Shall we give it a go?” he asks, taking in Harry’s anxious expression before he blinks.

“Good, here we go. One, two, three...” the doctor says before he starts pulling it out and quickly handing it to the nurse before turning back to Harry. It took about 30 seconds in which we almost thought it wasn’t going to work since Harry went ghostly pale but eventually he got a handle on breathing on his own again.

To say we are relieved is an understatement.

“Nice and slow, Harry, there you go…” the doctor says, checking over all his vitals. He stands there for about a minute or two before relaxing and giving us all a reassuring smile. 

“Water?” he says, turning to his nurse and putting a hand behind Harry’s head to help him lift up and take small sips.

“Feeling okay?” he asks. Harry nods before closing his eyes and taking more slow breaths. 

“Mom…?” his low whisper finally comes after the nurse finishes putting on a nasal cannula. 

Anne gets up and slowly makes her way over to where the nurse was standing before, taking his hand and running the other over his still warm forehead. Thankfully his color was starting to return even though he was still flushed from fever.

“Hey baby…just relax, okay? I’m so happy to have you back…” she says, looking him over. The bruises had almost all faded from his jaw and wrists and ankles. The only residual effects seemed to be from the pneumonia and broken ribs. 

Louis decides at this point he needs to give them a moment by announcing he’s going to the cafeteria. Anne and Gemma look in his direction giving slight smiles before turning back to Harry. Harry turned his head but is blocked from view by Anne. They all start talking again just trying to catch Harry up on everything he’s missed. Louis eats silently at the cafeteria when Gemma comes walking up.

“Umm..hey, Louis” she says.

“Hey Gem, how’s he doing?” Louis asks, unsure of why she would be away from him right now.

“Good, yeah, he’s good. Mum and I are about to head out and he’s asking for you, if you’re up to it. How ARE you doing, by the way?” she asks, almost nervously.

“Fine, I guess. Can’t get much better than this, can it? I mean, Harry’s back. I’m alive. The boys are already planning a big ‘welcome home’ bash when Harry’s released. We’ll be back to rehearsals and life as we know it…yeah?” Louis says, pushing the half-eaten food on his plate around.

Louis hears Gemma sigh before she starts talking again.

“Not everything has to go back to the way it was Louis…just talk to him” she says, giving him a kiss on the head before heading away. 

Louis didn’t know what brought on this sudden doubt. Like everything the last month had brought to light would all of a sudden mean nothing, like he and Harry would go back to pretending there was nothing between them. There was no way they would talk about THAT, would they? He’s not sure how okay he would be if it didn’t work out like it had in his mind…

Louis finally gets up and discards his food tray before returning to Harry’s room. He hesitates outside the room for a moment before knocking and entering slowly, hanging his head. 

“…Lou?” he hears that angelic voice ring out again.

“Yeah Haz, it’s me” he says, smiling slightly before looking up. Harry’s bed is actually slightly inclined so that he can see people properly, now that the tube is out. He’s still weak from the illness raging through him but he’s already looking so much better than before. Louis slowly trails his eyes up his body before finally connecting with patient yet anxious green eyes.

“Are you…are you just going to stand there or do you plan to come closer at some point?” Harry asks, noting Louis’ reluctance. 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry” Louis says, making his way over to the bed and sitting on the side.

Harry looks at him curiously before speaking again.

“So…I hear I have you to thank for saving me” he says, waiting for Louis’ reaction.

“You don’t…you don’t remember?” Louis asks, almost disappointed.

“I mean, yeah…bits and pieces, but it was all such a blur to be honest…I was in an out a lot and then you were there and there was singing, I think? And then I thought I heard”, Louis’ heart rate picks up at this point wondering if he was going to say it, “…nothing, never mind.” 

“Heard what Hazza?” Louis inquires, scared but knowing they had to get it out of the way.

“You said you loved me, did you actually say that?”

“Umm…I mean, yeah.”

“Did you…did you meant it?”

“I always mean it Haz, I love you, you know that.”

“That’s not what I mean and you KNOW it Louis…” Harry says, sounding almost upset but also growing weary from exhaustion.

“Yeah, I meant it. Harry, this is not at all how I pictured this conversation going and I want to talk about it, I really do. But…can we do it tomorrow? You need sleep babe” Louis says, running a hand through his hair.

“Fine. But…tomorrow. Please Lou…” Harry says, settling back down in the bed.

“What is it Haz?”

“Will you…will you stay with me tonight? I’m scared…” he admits quietly.

Louis isn’t sure what to say. Of course he wants to but what if it doesn’t work out the way he hopes? What if nurses or doctors come barging in and demanding he leave? What if Harry decides in the middle of the night that Louis there is too much and makes him leave? What if in the end, no matter the situation, someone ends up leaving?

Fuck it.

“Of course, just, I need to be out of the way of the wires” he chuckles to himself, sliding down on the bed and wrapping his arms around Harry’s frame. 

“Just sleep, babe. I’ll be here, always…” Louis finishes, placing a kiss on Harry’s forehead and running a hand through his curls which always makes him relax.

Soon enough Harry’s snoring is the only sound in the room and Louis doesn’t think he’s fallen asleep to a sweeter sound in his whole life.

\-----

Nurses and doctors do come in a couple of times but none of them have the heart to wake the exhausted boys. Unbeknownst to Louis, Harry had suffered through quite a few nightmares since being in the hospital and no one knew how to quell them. However, on this night Harry never sounded once.

The next morning Louis wakes to that creeping feeling until he remembers where he ended up last night.

“Haz…didn’t your mum teach you that it’s not polite to stare?” Louis says, before opening his eyes to look at Harry.

Sure enough, Harry is watching him with a slight smile, still wrapped up in his embrace. 

“You just look so peaceful when you sleep Loubear…” he says.

“Well, good morning love…” Louis says, kissing his head before they readjust and stretch their limbs as much as possible. Louis plants another kiss to Harry’s forehead, happily noting that his fever seems to have broken.

“How are you feeling Hazza?” he asks when Harry stays silent.

“Better, surprisingly. You must be my lucky charm…” he says, trailing off.

And just like that, they’re already back to where they were the evening before. Louis moves to sit the bed up farther, making sure to be careful of Harry’s ribs. When they’re comfortable again, they stay silent before Louis speaks up.

“Harry…I can’t lie, it’s all I’ve been doing for a long time now and as easy as I thought it would be to pretend, I was wrong…” Louis starts off, unsure of how to continue.

“What do you mean?” Harry innocently asks.

“I mean…me and Eleanor was nice, she’s a very lovely girl but that’s just it. I felt nothing more for her, I really thought I might…or could at some point but it just didn’t feel right. I got so frustrated that I wasn’t feeling anything that I tried to hang out with her more just to get some kind of connection but ended up pushing you away…If I hadn’t been such a twat on that day this might never have happened…” Louis says.

“Lou…I’m actually glad it happened.”

What the hell? That wasn’t what Louis had expected.

“Uhhh, I’m sorry? What?” Louis asks.

“Lou, if this hadn’t happened we wouldn’t be together like this right now. I mean, maybe we would maybe we wouldn’t but I highly doubt it to be honest. My mom told me something while I was with…them. And honestly it was one of the only things keeping me going. As much as this whole thing has been horrible, I didn’t want to come back to life and get back to ‘normal’. Normal right now just plain sucks and yet now here I am, wrapped in your arms, just like in every good dream I’ve ever had”.

At this point they’re still unsure of what point either of them are trying to get to so Harry finally builds up the courage.

“Louis…when you say you love me, you mean you ‘love’ me or are you IN love with me?” Harry finally asks.

“Oh Hazza…I have loved you for so long. I think I was in love the second I caught sight of those curls and fell hard the minute I heard you sing. I love you more than life itself and Jesus Harry, when your mom found out she was so relieved, actually. My mom wasn’t all that surprised either. No matter what Hazza, even if this something you don’t want, I’m here for you until the end. Which, by the way, isn’t allowed for another 90 years AT LEAST” Louis says, remembering how close the ‘end’ had actually been.

There’s silence as Louis waits and Harry processes everything. 

“Harry?” Louis asks when he feels a sudden wetness on his shirt and Harry starts shaking.

“Harry?! Are you okay?!” He asks again, turning Harry’s head up so that he can at least see him.

Harry nods quickly before he starts full on sobbing. It takes at least ten minutes for him to calm down mostly because the sobbing caused his ribs to start hurting again. 

“I’m s-sorry…God Lou, we’ve been so stupid. I love you, so much you idiot. I love y-you…” he finally chokes out, realizing that he hadn’t been dreaming that part of the last month all along. Louis really did love him as he loved Louis.

Louis pulls Harry impossibly closer and holds on with everything inside of him, willing Harry to literally FEEL the love emanating from him.

After a few minutes they both look at each other with stupid grins, Harry’s dimples making their first appearance in a very long time. They just stare for a minute before slowly leaning in and connecting their lips. It’s smooth and easy at first before finally they feel the need for each other. It becomes harsher and needier, growing more heated until-

“OH! Oh my God…” a voice comes, breaking the two apart quickly and spinning their heads to see who it is.

“Hi Gem” Harry greets cheekily, shooting a glance to Louis before laying his head back down on his chest.

“Jesus, at least put a hat on the door or something! Mom is on her way up” she says, before finally looking at them again. 

“About time, you two. What took you two knobheads so long?” Gemma asks, coming over to ruffle her brother’s hair, noticing he’s already looking that much brighter.

“Shut up Gemma…” he says before they all break out in laughter until Anne walks in.

“What? What did I miss?” Anne asks innocently.

Their laughter only doubles at her bewildered expression.

\-----

The boys come by later that afternoon after Harry is finally moved to a regular room out of ICU. The doctors are already talking about his ‘remarkable’ improvement and when they might be able to release him. They’re still cautious though reminding the boys to take it easy, which they do by ordering real food and watching movies the rest of the day until visiting hours end.

The next week passes much the same, Louis visiting Harry every day for as long as allowed and an array of visitors coming by each day until he’s allowed to go home. His ribs are healing for the most part and after rounds of potent antibiotics the pneumonia has finally cleared. Harry spends his last week also taking part in short physical therapy sessions just to get him readjusted to walking and caring for his weakened body to get built back up at a safe pace. 

The best part?

Louis is there every step of the way.

\-----

The week passes quickly and as promised, the boys have planned a huge ‘welcome home’ bash in his honor. They decide upon going to Harry’s dad’s place so that they can use the bungalow afterward. Everyone shows up. All of Harry’s family, all of his friends, the security team, staff, and crew attend. Harry feels a little overwhelmed at it all but as he makes his way around person to person he realizes that this is exactly what he needed. To be home, to be surrounded.

To be safe.

The party is loud but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Eventually the adults start to meander out leaving the party to crank up a whole level. Harry and Louis decide to sit out on that one, choosing to spend their time wrapped in a blanket outside. Snogging, of course.

Eventually even that party dies down as Harry begins to grow weary and starts to fall asleep against Louis, who only pulls him closer.

Once everyone has left the remaining boys find their way outside with all their stuff, even Louis’ and Harry’s, and place it in the bungalow. Liam and Zayn send their girls off before working on a fire.

Louis doesn’t even have the heart to wake Harry up so he slides an arm behind his back and his other under his knees before carrying him over to the warmth of the fire. They set up their chairs and Louis just sets Harry in his lap, cradling him against his chest.

“So, are you two…? You know…?” Liam finally speaks up.

“Yeah, we are” Louis replies smiling, resting his head on Harry’s.

“About damn time…” Zayn mimics Gemma, smiling nonetheless.

“I heard that…” Harry finally chimes in before lifting his head and giving Louis a peck on the lips.

“Awww, you two are so cute!” Niall exclaims, laughing.

“But really mates, we’re all really happy for you guys. We’ve missed you both…” Liam trails off, unsure of what else to say.

“Guys? What happened to us?” Harry suddenly asks, staring into the fire.

“What do you mean babe?” Louis asks, urging him forward.

“I mean…you remember the last time we sat here? We were still in the arena tour and just getting prepared for our first stadium tour, much less our second. We were so close then, what happened? Why are we so far apart now?” 

They all think back on it, remembering how easy everything had seemed back then before they started getting into books, movies, perfumes, etc. Everything in their lives had changed it seemed, yet they were still the same five boys underneath all the layers.

“Harry, as much as I would like to have an answer to that, I think we’ve all had a lot of time (too much maybe) to think about where we’ve gone off course. Maybe it’s time we just look forward and realize that we won’t make it through this without each other…” Zayn states simply.

“What is the fans call it…OT5? Something like that…” Niall says smirking.

“Exactly.” Louis says.

They all sit around the fire that night, rehashing old memories and jokes. Occasionally growing angry, sometimes sad, but for the most part they feel whole again. The divide they once teetered upon now being sewn back together as they reminisced around the fire just like they had all those years ago, in the very beginning.


	20. All They Needed

When Louis woke up the next morning, it was quite the sight to behold. 

At some point in the night they had all drifted into the bungalow, forgoing the rooms to make a huge pallet on the floor and ending up in a tangle of limbs. And while they were all together again, it was he and Harry that seemed to always gravitate to one another. 

As it were now, Harry was curled up against his chest with his wild curls splaying all around him and slightly tickling Louis’ nose. He brushed them back to take in Harry’s face, still not quite back to its careless demeanor not only because of the month long ordeal but because he was different.

They were all different.

During the night, as Zayn had stated, they made an unspoken truce to not worry about past transgressions but to move forward as a unit. They were going to put aside the money, the parties, the promotions, for the sake of actually working together as a group. It wasn’t until they were almost stripped of their identity that they realized that they didn’t even know what their identity was anymore.

Were they five boys living their dream? Were they a production of a money-craving market? Were they products in a brand?

No, they were five boys who decided that there was more to life than just existing. They were five boys of varying lives with varying personalities who were thrown together in a strange twist of fate. They weren’t handed anything considering they had never met each other before and had no prior experience performing together. They weren’t given special consideration for their ages. They weren’t anyone’s perfectly prepared production. 

No, they were special.

They fought for everything they had achieved because of the way they put their souls, despite having five different takes on it, into their music and even more so their fans. They fought and forgave. Took nothing for granted. They did things on their own time and on their (for the most part) own terms.

The past year had taught them how fragile the balance is between people and product. A balance that was beginning to tip in the wrong direction. But despite the last month, they were coming out on top. They weren’t worried about the publicity coming from the events, or the interviews being thrown their way or reporters looking for the top story. 

They were five boys, becoming men, who almost lost two vital parts of their five. They couldn’t be the same after that.

Harry and Louis, of course, understood to an even greater degree the changes this was bringing. They were worried about what to tell Modest, especially since it meant that Louis now had to publically announce his coming out even though it shouldn’t have to be a big deal.

So he likes dick, there had to more important stories than that, right?

Even as he fretted at random moments throughout the past night, Harry was there to put his hands on either side of his face and pull him in for a gentle kiss to remind him that ‘hey, you’re not in this alone’. It was a thing of beauty really.

Management of course gave them the necessary time to recover from the ordeal and get back to rehearsals. Lou, Caroline, the photographers, the band, security, and everyone involved alike came together on their first day of rehearsals to hold a big dinner and celebratory ‘new beginning’ feast. Everyone was happy to go back to business as usual.

The boys learned to interact with each other more, especially in the beginning, since Louis and more so Harry had to get used to the throngs of fans hanging onto their every move. 

Harry suffered a few panic attacks when certain people got to close or if he started getting tugged on but with the help of the boys he was slowly getting back to his happy self. 

Louis and Harry met with management several times to discuss how they would officially announce their status, it was a big deal in the end for their fans and financially. It took a lot of debating, back and forth, but Harry and Louis decided that they wanted the moment to be special but delicate.

Simple, but effective.

So the boys decided to kick off their new tour close to home, choosing Manchester since it would be Harry’s first large public appearance in quite a while and he might need the familiarity of home to keep calm. 

They were going all out with fireworks this time and decided they would run out on stage one at a time to the filled-to-capacity stadium before them. Niall ran out first doing his infamous Horan jump, Zayn next with his cool collectiveness, Liam then with his hyped demeanor. 

And Harry and Louis?

They walked out hand in hand to stand in the middle where they nervously turned toward each other, blue staring into green staring into blue, and crashed their lips together as more fireworks shot off to a craze of applauding fans. 

And if they started off with a rousing (*wink**wink*) performance of ‘No Control’, it definitely had NOTHING to do with the two boys…

They were anywhere and everywhere on the stage that they had become so used to calling home. Everyone fell into sync, bumping into one another, cracking jokes, occasionally tripping (“Damn it Harry!”) Louis would call every time. 

No, nothing was the same, nothing was ever going be the same.

It wasn’t anything like they had before because before all they had were names.

Now, all they had were each other.

At the end of their first performance back together again they huddled together in a sweaty mass and just laughed.

All they had was nothing because now, each other was all they needed.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't too abrupt but I wanted to end it on a high note. I have really enjoyed writing this and can't ever thank you enough if you're still reading. I've already got plans for one or two other stories I'd like to start writing. I wish you nothing but the best and if you ever want to send prompts, need help, or just someone to talk to, you can comment or find me on twitter (@marie_hoult) or email me at newagescaffold@gmail.com. Byeee!

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think so far? This is my first go at this but I'm open to all suggestions. :)
> 
> [I own nothing by the way.]


End file.
